My 2009 Christmas Letter

I was composing my "Christmas letter" while driving earlier. Actually cracking myself up. It is just one of those parodies!

I had surgery in January. Closely followed by a cancer scare and a second surgery within a month of the first. All was well but I felt like asking if couldn't they have done a "two for one" and each taken an end and done it at the same time to save money? Got insulted by an ortho doc and went into PT in April. Got my leg working in time for Biggest Loser. Where I lost 7 pounds but bloated up my thighs. Found out in July I shouldn't have done that when I was diagnosed with a rare disease. (Dercum's Disease) Had to change my exercise program but the two people I thought I could count on failed to help me and broke my heart. I turned to the YWCA where the wonderful fitness person helped me find a program and warmed my heart at the same time. She actually managed to convince me to get in the pool and do the Aquasize program. Then in October the fool YWCA board decided to cancel all fitness programs and TOOK AWAY MY POOL! I was on tv and in the editorial pages. I'm still fighting that fight! So here I am in December. Wondering why I am worn out and melancholy.... What a hell of a year!

Actually this is quite humorous to me since it sounds sooooo pitiful.

JoAnn's has a senior discount day on Weds. December 9. You have to be 60 - dang them! You get 15% off your total purchases including sale items. Go and enjoy and think of me while you save!

Hugs!

A kind and caring gesture

As many of you know I am an ebay seller. Because of that I am in the post office quite a bit. I've gotten to know several of the clerks quite well.

A couple of weeks ago I was having a rough day. Heading from work to the post office thinking about all that comes with Dercum's and in tears. My favorite clerk, Robb, waited on me. After he posted everything he asked "Is there any other service I can provide?" I blurted out "How are you with therapy?" He said many people don't speak to him after he gives advice. Well, how could I resist that? :woohoo: So I explained that I have a rare disease and am having a really hard time dealing with it. One of his pieces of advice was "Count your blessings." Some days that doesn't work but on that day it actually struck a note so I went home and made a list.

I saw Robb today for the first time since then. I told him thanks for the advice. I said I have good and bad days but what I say a lot is that I am so tired of being strong. He said "Well, I am here for you" and then he put out his hand. I put mine out and he held it for a moment. What a kind and caring thing to do! I so needed to have that one special person reach out today!

Just had to share so you know that there ARE some good people out there!

Here's my hand to all of you!

An awesome sis, an awesome store, a surprise discount & another silly GPS

Last week my sis Chris was visiting from North Carolina. She and her hubby, Dan, stopped to have dinner with Andrew, Cindy and I. Had some yummy stuff at Cracker Barrel then those 4 took off for a local brew pub. I had to go home and rest for my big day the next day.

I headed up to Winamac in the morning. (Thanks, Dan, for pointing out to Chris that morning to me means any time before 11:59. You know me so well!) The 3 of us plus stepmom, Carol, visited then headed up to Toto for lunch. Had that yummy fish! Dan gives kudos to the tenderloin. Richards Cafe in Toto - worth the trip! Chris and I then moved on to our traditional "Sister time". We headed up to Laporte to a cross stitch store I have been wanting to visit called House of Stitches. OH MY GOSH! What an awesome store! You could spend days in there looking at everything. Amazingly, I mainly focused on Halloween patterns and went through probably 100 or so. Chose one that is just adorable! Got my fabric and Chris helped me find my colors. She got an adorable skeleton fob kit. What an AWESOME store! I will be back for sure!

Chris is an antiquer. I used to be moreso but am trying to get away from collections as I prepare to retire. (So I claim.) We went to an antique mall in an old department store. It is full of nooks and crannies and fun to look at all the different things. Neither of us found anything so we decided to find a Goodwill. Closest one on the GPS was about 20 miles away so we headed there. I found kits (nyah, nyah, Ann!) and Chris found a neat jack o lantern and a cat candle holder. Got up to the register and found out they give a senior disocunt of 10% EVERY DAY! WOW!!!

Pam did not want us to get lost so had loaned me her GPS. Jimmy(ie?) Incredibly, Jimmy did NOT ONCE tell us to make a u-turn! I didn't think GPS's were capable of not saying that! She did have to recalculate quite a bit especially since she couldn't seem to tell which way my truck was facing and I'd start down the road the opposite direction. She got REALLY lost trying to find the cross stitch store! I am so glad I looked at the web site and read their tips for finding it!

Thanks, Chris, for listening to my sad story, for patting me on the back when I cried and for caring. I needed that! Love you, sis!

Little Miss Sad

I have that stuck in my head. Googling shows it's a song, a play, a doll... Too often lately, it's been me. I have this big problem of being disappointed when people I thought I could count on fail me. Two of those 3 docs (one was just a jerk) did it. Lately it's been the Miracles guys - Dan and Dave. I've told both about my having Dercum's. Dave said he'd catch me later or drop stuff off. I dropped stuff off after not seeing him for a while. No word since. I suspect his super niceness is just a facade!

Dan was another story. I emailed him twice - once telling him I have it and once saying "need help" and explaining that I can no longer do the exercises I have been doing because it makes Dercum's react. Could he please help me find ways to work out without impacting my joints? He said give him some days I could meet and he'd find time. I gave him days, he never answered. Well, he answered with a promotion for his next event. I dropped off materials last week. Still no answer about what I can do. Last time I went to work out I just felt sad. Really sad. Little Miss Sad!

What do you do when people fail you? I know I have high expectations but how do I misjudge character like that? I guess that's an issue for analysis...

Meanwhile, I am doing okay. The support group is wonderful as are my friends and family. My "little ms. kick butt" has returned so all will be well now. :-) It is fascinating almost daily to see what new things pop up (and out) on my body. I bruise easily now. Last week's show n tell was the 3" by 4" bruise I got by bumping a shopping cart!

Ann and I went to Indy Friday and found way too many goodies at the HPB sale! How we love those! Carol and I went and saw "Julie & Julia" today. (By the way - I have the frequent moviegoers card now and am saving up for free snack bar items. Yay!) A nice movie. Meryl Streep was EXCELLENT as Julia! I miss Julia's enthusiastic take on life! I had two redbox movies. One was strange but enthralling. The other was "Paul Blart Mall Cop". I wasn't sure if I would like that and it definitely had its stupid moments but what a great story! I always love when the underdog wins in the end!

Hey! There's a good motto for the Dercum's group - the underdog wins in the end! YEAH!

Hope you all are having a good long weekend.

Take care!

It's such a good feeling to be supported!

No, no, not THAT kind of support!

I've run a support group (TippecaKnees) for about 4 years. I've talked to many, many people over the years to reassure them and get them through the surgery or after. It is very rewarding to me each time I help someone. But I never felt I was doing anything special. Now I am on the other side. I am the one who needs the support now! I found a wonderful Dercum's support group on mdjunction. It's been less than a month but I already feel like I know many of them. The comfort and reassurance they give me is priceless. I try to be supportive and encouraging, too.

These support group members - especially Jennifer, Sylvia, Sigrid and Trudy have helped me keep going as I flounder around trying to adapt to new feelings both mental and physical. I am realizing what everyone told me - the reassurance of others and having people to talk to who know what I am feeling is worth more than I can say!

The circle has come around. Lumpettes, I salute you!

The group is also good for some funny stories which I will share another day.

Take care everyone!

P.S. If you have a medical condition and need some support, check out mdjunction. It seems to have a whole bunch of great people participating!

Thursday Funnies - Embarrassing Medical Moments

These are great - especially the last one! Enjoy!

EMBARRASSING MEDICAL EXAMS

1. A man comes into the ER and yells, "My wife's going to have her
baby in the cab!" I grabbed my stuff, rushed out to the cab, Lifted
the lady's dress, and began to take off her underwear. Suddenly I
noticed that there were several cabs ---and I was in the wrong one.
Submitted by Dr. Mark MacDonald, San Francisco


2. At the beginning of my shift I placed a stethoscope on an
elderly and slightly deaf female patient's anterior chest wall. "Big
breaths," I instructed.. "Yes, they used to be," replied the patient.
Submitted by Dr. Richard Byrnes,Seattle, WA


3. One day I had to be the bearer of bad news when I told a Wife
that her husband had died of a massive myocardial infarct. Not more
than five minutes later, I heard her reporting to the rest of the family
that he had died of a "massive internal fart."
Submitted by Dr. Susan Steinberg


4. During a patient's two week follow-up appointment with his
cardiologist, he informed me, his doctor, that he was having trouble
with one of his medications. "Which one?" I asked. "The patch, the
Nurse told me to put on a new one every six hours and now I'm running out of
places to put it!" I had him quickly undress and discovered what I
hoped I wouldn't see. Yes, the man had over fifty patches on his body! Now,
the instructions include removal of the old patch before applying a new one.
Submitted by Dr. Rebecca St. Clair, Norfolk, VA


5. While acquainting myself with a new elderly patient, I asked,
"How long have you been bedridden?" After a look of complete
confusion she answered.."Why, not for about twenty years - when my
husband was alive."
Submitted by Dr. Steven Swanson-Corvallis, OR


6. I was performing rounds at the hospital one morning and while
checking up on a woman I asked, "So how's your breakfast this
morning?" "It's very good, except for the Kentucky Jelly. I can't seem to get
used to the taste" the patient replied. I then asked to see the jelly and
the woman produced a foil packet labeled "KY Jelly."
Submitted by Dr. Leonard Kransdorf, Detroit, MI


7. A nurse was on duty in the Emergency Room when a young woman with
purple hair styled into a punk rocker Mohawk, sporting a variety of
tattoos, and wearing strange clothing, entered. It was quickly
determined that the patient had acute appendicitis, so she was scheduled for
immediate surgery. When she was completely disrobed on the operating
table, the staff noticed that her pubic hair had been dyed green, and
above it there was a tattoo that read, "Keep off the grass." Once
the surgery was completed, the surgeon wrote a short note on the
patient's dressing, which said, "Sorry, had to mow the lawn."
Submitted by RN no name

AND FINALLY!!!................


8. As a new, young MD doing his residency in OB, I was quite
embarrassed when performing female pelvic exams. To cover my
embarrassment I had unconsciously formed a habit of whistling
softly.The middle-aged lady upon whom I was performing this exam
suddenly burst out laughing and further embarrassing me. I looked up
from my work and sheepishly said, "I'm sorry. Was I tickling you?"
She replied, "No doctor, but the song you were whistling was,
"I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener".

Dr. wouldn't submit his name

Where has all the John Deere stuff gone????

Today was a bight, sunny and warm (VERY!) day. Andrew and Cindy took me to lunch and we ate at surely one of the last remaining Ponderosa's! Which is a shame because their buffet is always tasty. AND they offer a SENIOR DISCOUNT if you're over 55. I turned 57 today. Wow, where have the last two years gone?

After lunch we stopped at the new Rural King. I was excited because they always have John Deere stuff like shirts and stuff for the home. We went in and were greeted by an (I think he was) automated man. He waved and everything! Too bad he was pretty much selling the store. Cool though. I headed toward the clothes and circled and circled again. NO JOHN DEERE! I said "This is Rural King and there's no John Deere and that's just... just...." My son filled in with "wrong!" No kidding! I scoured the store for John Deere items. All I came up with was JD tractors for kids and little JD toys. Not what I had in mind! I am brokenhearted now! :-(

Luckily Cracker Barrel still carries some stuff so I guess I'll have to make a run out there. And my sweet sis even gave me a CB gift card for my birthday so I can go hog wild! (Get it?)

Oh! Have to tell you about one of the cool gifts my son and daughter-in-law gave me. They found a tablet that says "Stop me before I volunteer again". OH MY GOSH! That is sooooo me! I don't know where they find these great items - they won't tell!

It's ebay time so I must jump over and get busy. Hope you all had a good day, too!

It's rare for me to feel this rare...

I like my steak rare. I like to admire rare artifacts. Rare books are a treasure! And you all know how much I LOVE the rare bargain find!!!

I've now moved into a new state of rare and I'm kind of struggling with it. Three weeks ago my doctor (the good one) confirmed my self-diagnosis of Dercum's Disease (also known as Adiposis Dolorosa). Dercum's is defined by the WHO as a rare disease. Wow! How cool is that? The cause is unknown, there is no cure and there is very little research being done. (Mostly anecdotal which is a single observation according to the doc...) It is a progressive disease characterized by painful lipomas (lumps of fatty tissue) in the body. It is thought to cause weight gain - sometimes quickly and for no reason - and it makes it difficult to lose weight. One of the most fascinating aspects of it - if I look at myself in the 3rd person - is the changes it causes to your body. My thighs have swelled up and gone back down leaving more lumps and folds (elephant legs I call em). My calves and arms now seem to have a layer of squishy, rubbery fat on top.

I've started calling myself a shapeshifter. I told a dear friend that at lunch and then looked for a definition to be sure I was correct. I found one that is so perfect, it's funny.
"There are many different styles of shapeshifting to be seen. One is the literal bodily alteration where the body physically changes. Depending on what the subject is changing into, the different parts of the body will shift, stretch, compress, and expand. This type of shapeshifting is often against the subject's will and can be a slow and painful process; articles of clothing are usually lost or destroyed, as in the case of the werewolf."

Huh, what???? The werewolf? Clothing being destroyed???? The rest of the description fits so perfectly with what is happening that I'm wondering if I need to start keeping an eye on my clothing and watching for extra hair growth! =:0

As I said I have been struggling big time with this. Mainly because I realized that the treatment I have received at the hands of 3 doctors who based their judgement on my appearance was even more unwarranted. It's going to take a while to work through this one. But noone else should have to go through that for this reason so I want to make you all aware of it. Education is really, really important in this. I am now a face of Dercum's so please help me spread the word.

Other than the shapeshifting story and being cool, there really hasn't been much fun with this. I do thank God for the support groups I have found online.

Sorry to be a downer this time.

Take care!

A Thursday Funny

I'm going to have to remember this for the next time I do it! Just picture this one - should make you smile! :-)

Three Ladies in a Sauna

THREE WOMEN, TWO YOUNGER, AND ONE SENIOR CITIZEN, WERE SITTING NAKED IN A SAUNA. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A BEEPING SOUND. THE YOUNG WOMAN PRESSED HER FOREARM AND

THE BEEP STOPPED. THE OTHERS LOOKED AT HER QUESTIONINGLY. 'THAT WAS MY PAGER,' SHE SAID. I HAVE A MICROCHIP UNDER THE SKIN OF MY ARM.

A FEW MINUTES LATER, A PHONE RANG. THE SECOND YOUNG WOMAN LIFTED HER PALM TO HER EAR. WHEN SHE FINISHED, SHE EXPLAINED, 'THAT WAS MY MOBILE PHONE. I HAVE A MICROCHIP IN MY HAND.'

THE OLDER WOMAN FELT VERY LOW -TECH. NOT TO BE OUT DONE, SHE DECIDED SHE HAD TO DO SOMETHING JUST AS IMPRESSIVE. SHE STEPPED OUT OF THE SAUNA AND WENT TO THE BATHROOM. SHE RETURNED WITH A PIECE OF TOILET PAPER HANGING FROM HER REAR END.

THE OTHERS RAISED THEIR EYEBROWS AND STARED AT HER.

THE OLDER WOMAN FINALLY SAID..........WELL, WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT....I'M GETTING A FAX!!

Almost TGIF!

Laughter Really IS the Best Medicine!

OH NO! I've lost another month! I missed 3 birthdays - sorry guys! Don't know where the time flew. PHEW!

The Fourth was quite nice! I drove up to Winimac in the morning to get my stepmom to go to Toto. Indiana's original bargain town. We went to Bailey's first. Found lots of name brand crackers and a good clearance on clothing. Then we went to Richards where I found some craft stuff! We had to carefully time our shopping as they are an hour behind us - even though they are about 15 miles away... At 12/11 we went into the restaurant at Richards. It is a hidden treasure!! They have many yummy things but the pollock fish is my favorite. It is sooooo good! And of course I had to have some homemade pie for dessert. Yum!

We drove back to Winimac and by then my brother, sister-in-law and two nephews had arrived. Remember the devil nephews? Yeah, those are the two. I've established my place as their crazy aunt so we all tend to get excited when we know we will be seeing each other. This time we got my brother, Jon, in it, too. Every time the four of us were alone, we would get on some subject that we twisted until we cracked up. One of my favorites was talking about the Horrifed B Movie play set that I saw in Louisville. (Google it some time, it's a hoot!) We all started posing. One person would yell out a monster - Mothra! Giant Spider! Godzilla! After each one, we would all scream and pose in our most terrified B movie pose. I think you had to be there to see that one but just imagine it!

After about an hour of laughing almost constantly I proclaimed that we should all be REALLY healthy now! What a day! And what healthy fun!

Wish those guys lived closer but I guess if we saw each other more than once every few months, we'd run out of material. I hope you all are stocking up for next time!

Hope you all had a good 4th, too. Back to work tomorrow!

A Goodwill Tip and Flying Ice Cream!

I took the afternoon off today so I could go to a board meeting. I am the new editor of the Coalition for Living Well After 50's newsletter. This was my chance to meet some board members and hear some old and new news. Very interesting!

The meeting was about a half mile from one of the Goodwill stores so I headed over when it ended. I found lots of craft magazines and booklets! I probably should have heeded the signs - like when a pile of them fell off the top shelf and bounced off my cart. And another pile slipped off a lower shelf and spilled by my feet. You would think that would discourage me. But NOOOO! Not when there is a craft treasure to be found!!! I did end up with quite a few booklets but there are plenty left. REALLY! If you are a craft person, there is one tip for you. Goodwill - east side in Lafayette. BIG TIP! Saturday the 20th is 50% off at most of the Indiana Goodwills. And... I WON'T BE THERE! So you know that means there will be that many more treasures for you!!!

I decided after I left Goodwill that I badly needed a Pepsi. Culver's is right around the corner. Hmmm.... Pepsi AND a sundae! That could be my dinner. They have a blueberry sundae so being the fruit and vegetable conscious person that I am (HA!) I decided that sounded good. The cashier asked if I wanted a lid and I said yes. Thank God for that!!! I had my Pepsi in my cup holder so I set the sundae down on the passenger seat. It was flat, seemed steady and had my purse behind it. You would think that would have gotten it home. What I forgot was the law of centrifugal force. If you speed around a corner, things go flying. All was well until I decided I could beat a car and turn left. I whipped around that corner and OOPS! the sundae went flying! It wedged itself top up between the seat and the door. I just kept watching it picturing blueberries and ice crewam dripping all over my truck. I finally couldn't take it any more and when I stopped at a light, I unbuckled my seat belt, reached over and got it. I then propped it inside my purse where it happily sat until I got home.

I do have to say that was some YUMMY ice cream!! Their fruit always tastes fresh and the custard was smooth and tasty. It was worth it!

Hope your Monday went well for you!

The Orange Shoes go to the gym

Those orange New Balance shoes have become quite a conversation piece! The first time I wore them to the gym (Miracles Fitness) I had to show them off to Dan the owner. I said "Aren't they cool?" and he said yes. Then he noticed that they matched my shirt AND my purse. (I swear I didn't do it on purpose!) A couple of days later I was asking what my group should wear for their training session. He said gym shoes are a must - no work shoes. If I was nice, I could tell them where to get shoes or I could keep it to myself and be the only orange superstar. He then said "Try not to intimidate. Matching shoes, shirt and bag are not required." WELL!

The next time I worked out I wore a green shirt and my new shoes. I was on the rocker board and Dan was staring at my feet. I thought he was looking at my lack of balance - which is why I use it! But noooooo, he said "Your shoes and your shirt don't match." Okay, now we're on. So the NEXT time I wore the shoes, orange shirt and an orange hairband. I pointed out that I was now matching. His comment? "Fashion lives." So the next week I added an orange watch (thanks to good buddy Ann who loaned it to me). That got a grin and shake of the head. We have two more weeks left in the Biggest Loser program (the day I have been wearing my orange). What to do next??? My friends - who already know I'm insane - have suggested orange hair dye, nail polish, earrings... This is quite fun!

Little did I know what these shoes would cause when I got them!

Do you have any "orange shoes"? Something that causes a reaction? I hope so!

An old funny but a goodie!

AAADD
KNOW THE SYMPTOMS......

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better,even though I have it!!

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first...

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water. I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,
but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.


At the end of the day:

the car isn't washed
the bills aren't paid
there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
there is still only 1 check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
and, I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it,
but first I'll check my e-mail......

If you're like me, this happens a little too often! =:0

Take care!

Monday Funny - Jellyfish Bad Day

I love when friends share jokes! Here is one for Monday...

Next time you have a bad day at work think of this guy..


Rob is a commercial saturation diver for Global Divers in Louisiana. He
performs underwater repairs on offshore drilling rigs. Below is an E-mail
he sent to his sister. She then sent it to radio station 103.2 FM in Ft.
Wayne , Indiana , who was sponsoring a worst job experience contest.
Needless to say, she won.




Hi Sue,

Just another note from your bottom-dwelling brother.

Last week I had a bad day at the office. I know you've been feeling down
lately at work, so I thought I would share my dilemma with you to make you
realize it's not so bad after all
Before I can tell you what happened to me, I first must bore you with a
few technicalities of my job.

As you know, my office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the
office. It's a wet suit. This time of year the water is quite cool.
So what we do to keep warm is this: We have a diesel powered industrial
water heater. This $20,000 piece of equipment sucks the water out of the
sea. It heats it to a delightful temperature..
It then pumps it down to the diver through a garden hose, which is taped
to the air hose.

Now this sounds like a darn good plan, and I've used it several times with
no complaints.
What I do, when I get to the bottom and start working, is take the hose
and stuff it down the back of my wet suit. This floods my whole suit with
warm water.. It's like working in a Jacuzzi.

Everything was going well until all of a sudden, my butt started to itch.
So, of course, I scratched it. This only made things worse. With in a few
seconds my butt started to burn. I pulled the hose out from my back,
but the damage was done. In agony I realized what had happened.

The hot water machine had sucked up a jellyfish and pumped it into my
suit. Now, since I don't have any hair on my back, the jellyfish couldn't
stick to it. However, the crack of my butt was not as fortunate.

When I scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually grinding the
jellyfish into the crack of my butt.

I informed the dive supervisor of my dilemma over the communicator. His
instructions were unclear due to the fact that he, along with five other
divers, were all laughing hysterically.

Needless to say I aborted the dive. I was instructed to make three
agonizing in-water decompression stops totaling thirty-five minutes before
I could reach the surface to begin my chamber dry decompression.

When I arrived at the surface, I was wearing nothing but my brass helmet.
As I climbed out of the water, the medic, with tears of laughter running
down his face, handed me a tube of cream and told me to rub it on my butt
as soon as I got in the chamber.

The cream put the fire out, but I couldn't poop for two days because my
butt was swollen shut.

So, next time you're having a bad day at work, think about how much worse
it would be if you had a jellyfish shoved up your butt..

Now repeat to yourself, 'I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.'

Now whenever you have a bad day, ask yourself, is this a jellyfish bad day?

May you NEVER have a jellyfish bad day!!!!!

Imaginary friends

Did you have a pen pal when you were growing up? Or maybe you still have one. You got to know this person pretty well but never met? I have two and I call them my "imaginary friends" because I have never seen them. But they are both dear to my heart.

I met Marcia through ebay. She was one of my first customers and we just started emailing little messages to each other about the weather, then what we did at work, dates or lack of, new adventures - and of course, always the weather! I have a picture from her wedding and know her grandkid's names. Her cat and mine are about the same age and same crazy. She is my New York sis - we're so much alike we decided we must have been separated at birth! (Here's a hint - make sure your father is in a good mood when you suggest that possibility to him...)

I met Fran through my knee replacement support group. Fran had her knees replaced about a year after I did. We talked through her recovery and have kept on talking. We talk about work, trips, losing weight, many things. She has become very dear to me!

My son likes to kid me about my "imaginary friends" because I do talk about them and Cindy is always wondering who these people are. It's hard to describe how this happens - all I know is that I am so blessed that it did!

The distance is far but the ties are strong. Life wouldn't be the same if these two weren't part of it!

The devil made me buy those shoes!

Orange is my color this year. Well, orange is a favorite every year. I think it has something to do with being a Leo - red, yellow, orange - love em!

Last Sunday I was flipping through the ads in the newspaper. I got to the Sears ad and a beautiful picture jumoed out at me! ORANGE TENNIES!!!! They were New Balance running shoes - white with orange insides and trim. I wear New Balance! I took one look at those and my brain went "MUST HAVE ORANGE SHOES!" Of course this violated every rule I had set for myself - must lose weight before buying new shoes, must save money for retirement, haven't bought anything at Sears in 20 years... But all rules were blown out of my head by the picture of those ORANGE SHOES!

Andrew and Cindy went with me - just in case I got traumatized going through the doors of Sears. Good thing because they knew where the shoes were. We were looking through the shoe department and not finding them. Then Cindy walked out into the aisle and found a table with them on it. She asked what size I wear and I said an 8 1/2 D. (That D is sometimes hard to find in itself.) She found a pair right away! She said most of the rest were size 10s so obviously these were waiting for me! Then when I went to pay the cashier gave me an extra 15% off! WOW! Surely I was meant to have those shoes!

I've worn them several times now and love them. They caused a stir at Miracles Fitness but more about that another blog... Needless to say they are glowing happily in my room and I admire them daily! :-) I guess joy comes in strange places sometimes!

Enjoy the spring!

Goodwill Goodies

Had to go out to the post office yesterday so decided to stop by the Goodwill. It must have been calling me because I found quite a few craft items. (Nyah, nyah, Ann!) It was packed! Lots of people in there shopping and an amazing amount of people dropping off! The line was so long I had to go out through another exit! So there's the tip for all you thrifters - lots came in on Saturday so go check it out!

The other "goodie" I got was a comment about one of my docs! I heard his name and then heard the person talking about giving advice to a friend about how to handle him. Wow! Who'da thought you'd get doctor gossip at the Goodwill???

I'm listing those items on ebay. Lots of bargains there, too! Go check it out - www.ebay.com Enjoy!

Take care!

A simple thanks

I got an email today from a job applicant that I've been helping for a couple of weeks. He has been locked out of his account a few times and I've been working to get him back in. Had another message the other day and reset his password and sent an email. In his message he apologized for being a pest. I replied that he was not a pest - or at least he was the nicest pest I'd dealt with all day. :-)

Toward the end of the day today a message popped up. It was from Nathan - a name I have come to recognize! His message started out with THANKS! He was able to get in to the system and was thanking me for my help.

Thanks is such a little word but it means so much. I smiled, I felt appreciated - it was a great end to a Monday!

Let's spread that word around more! Thanks eveybody, for reading my blog and being a part of my life!

Take care!

Mr. NO! - Friend or Foe?

I had a wonderful after-hour chat with someone who is near to my heart. It started with him stopping by to ask why I'd dropped a 200 pound weight on his head today (or something like that). We went over what I had asked and quickly fell back into our old pattern of chatting. I threatened to put him in my blog and he came up with the pseudonym of Mr. No. Very fitting.

He didn't used to be that way! In fact when we first worked together, I had him wrapped around my little finger! :-) Then one day he came in and told me NO. We both just stared at each other. He said "I actually told you no, didn't I?" I think I congratulated him. Little did I know how GOOD he would become at saying NO to me! (And many other people.) Believe me, he excels now!

We have really butted heads over the last year. I know I've irritated him and God knows, he has driven me nuts many times. In fact, I'm sure we've been mad enough to spit if that wasn't such bad office etiquette...

But underneath all the anger and irritation lies a friendship. We've always been able to talk to each other about things that we don't often share. He's one of the few people I talk about my depression with. I never feel like he thinks less of me because of that. He listens to my stories and woes and I hope that I do the same for him. (It is definitely more him listening to me though!) If I lost my way, I'd look for him to help me back.

Friend or foe? While we can battle mightily, I hope that we will always be buddies.

Thanks for everything Mr. No!

Happy Friday everybody!

It's a beautiful day

What a gorgeous day today! I think we are all ready for spring!

Saying that statement - it's a beautiful day - pretty much always leads to me singing along with Mister Rogers. "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor, would you be mine? Could you be mine?" Got hooked on Mister Rogers when my son was a toddler. He grew out of it but I never did! I loved his gentleness and the lessons that you learned with each show. And of course I LOVE to sing the song!

Days like today tend to make me want to do road trips. One of my favorites is to head down to Lebanon. My favorite Hallmark store is there. Big Lots and a new Goodwill! Wow! On top of that they have my favorite barbecue place - Parky's! They have some excellent appetizers - especially love the black bean salsa. I've heard the salads are really good. Nothing has touched my own favorite though - "Make Mine Memphis". It's barbecue with cole slaw on top. Being a city girl from outside Chicago I had never tasted barbecue with coleslaw on it until the ex and I lived in North Carolina. Stopped at a little barbecue place - while on a road trip (this is where I got that from) - and had it there. A surprise at first but I quickly decided I loved it that way. I am a P.I.G. (watch it!) which is a Parky's Important Guest so I get email updates from them. Well, guess what? In their last email they announced that they have a 10% senior discount all the time! So take your road trip and visit them and get that discount!

Before I forget, thrifting buddy, Ann, told me that McDonald's now has a senior priced drink (coffee and pop). Get those bargains where you can!

It is supposed to be gorgeous this weekend so get out and enjoy!

I'm a great aunt!

Well, my little devil nephews would say I'm a "great" aunt anyway... :-)

But for real - my nephew Ian and his wife Lauren had a baby girl last night. Being a great aunt makes me sound old - but not as old as my younger sister the Grandma! ;-)
Congrats to all of you!

Made it to work out again today. Good for me! Met with Karen this morning. Congrats to you and Doug on your engagement! I am so happy you are happy! I had asked her for some info on lowering blood pressure. (She is a registered dietician.) She gave me a list of vitamins to take. Sort of opened my eyes as to why I really should be taking calcium! Also did her dietician "What did you eat for breakfast? Lunch? Dinner?" Whoa! You don't want to get caught in THAT situation unless you've planned for it!! I did do some good things but yesterday was definitely a high sodium day. Karen is a great coach though. Always rooting for me to pick up and get back on track.

Been a long week. You would not believe all the smiling faces I saw everywhere today! The sun is shining, it made it up to 70 and it is Friday!! Moods were high!

Time for a road trip! Going to be singing along to my favorite Stephanie Smith cd. It has some GREAT songs to sing along to! You can hear some on her web site www.stephanieisagirl.com Give her a listen then get yourself a cd!

Have a good weekend!

Reverse psychology

I went and worked out yesterday! And I was actually motivated to go!! I go to Miracles Fitness - a place that matches my needs and personality well. I have created my own little "circuit" that contains cardio, stretching, strengthening and balance. I enjoy it - sometimes I even manage to get that endorphin rush!

I have been bad at getting motivated to go though. Winter is always tough - going in the dark and the snow. I haven't been able to go for the last few months because of my flexor muscle. It was quite painful for a while. Once I started PT Dave told me I COULD NOT WORK OUT with my lower body - about 2/3 of my routine - until he said so. Two weeks ago, he said I could start back - slowly and gently - in two weeks. That was yesterday! So I was all excited about going! Packed my gym bag. Left the gym bag at home since I've gotten out of practice. Drove home at lunch and picked it up! The big hurdle with me is making sure I turn left at the bottom of the hill. When I leave my work building, I go down a hill. Right takes me home and left puts me on the way to Miracles. That decision is hard some days! Once I turn left, I am safely on my way. I've never once turned back after that.

So now I'm thinking about this whole exercise thing and being motivated. I was actually excited all week thinking about going back! As my son, who inherited his mother's dry wit, once said "Miracles fits because it's a miracle if you show up to work out!" (Bratty kid!) So what was different about this time? I could not go! Someone actually told me I could NOT work out!

I'm thinking maybe I need to hire someone or bribe my doctors to take turns telling me I can't go. That reverse psychology apparently was the key!

I'm planning to go back tomorrow so we will see just how long this motivation lasts. I'm thinking not long... But it IS good for me and I really do enjoy it when I can make myself go. Anyone want to tell me I can't???

Take care!

Why do people honk when it's a beautiful day?

Happy Monday! Not a bad one. Started out snowy and ended up sunny. Well, until the snow flurries started again. It IS April in Indiana!

Saturday Pam and I went down to Indy. Looking for spring purses, hitting Trader Joe's and Half Price books. It was a gorgeous day! Sunny and in the low 60s. So pretty after this damp and cold winter. As the day went on, we heard more and more horns honking. We decided it was "The day of the horns". People in parking lots, people at stop lights, people on the road... One person honked at us because we didn't turn on the red - even though there were cars turning left from the opposite lane! Once we got through, he sped around us and went right through the red light. (Don't you wish the cops would be there when THAT happens?) What was the hurry?

Saturday was truly a day to just relax and enjoy. We DID see some nice people who patiently waited for people to make turns. They showed the spirit of the day. For the rest of you - stop and enjoy days like that!

Take care!

Rainy days and Sundays

Oh my what a gloomy day today has been! I still can hear it raining and my wind chimes are tinkling. Sure made me lazy!

One thing I really enjoy about Sundays is they often have Monk marathons on channel 24. (I gave up all my extra channels to save money so it's special when I can get something GOOD all day!) I'm not a regular watcher so they are almost always new to me. Monk has sure brought out all the OCD people and made it okay! (Know a few myself...) It's a fun show to watch even as it keeps your mind busy trying to solve the mystery before he does.

Bad thing about all the rain is it makes all my arthritic parts ache. How about you? Are you one who can predict the weather with her/his joints?

Hope you all stayed dry today!

Directionally Challenged....

It's Friday and I am off - YAY! Still trying to figure out how to stimulate the economy with my $20....

I'm pleased to say that my PT for my flexor muscle is going well! Since my big breakthrough with the clamshell, I have been feeling less and less pain every day. Dave is back from vacation - tan and gloating. I saw him Weds. and let him know that he has already surpassed his goal of decreasing pain by 20% by almost 400%! I'm almost there! Still feeling a painful pulling when I do a high step like getting into the tub or when I have walked very far. I also find myself leaning forward when I walk. Turns out that slackens the tight muscle so I'm doing that to protect myself. Not a good move in the long run. So here is one lesson for the week - walk with a book on my head. I will be out on my front sidewalk doing that. :-)

My other assignment - which lasts FOUR WEEKS! - is to "paw". You know - like a horse or kitty, not like a lecherous LOL. Anyway... I am to do a step a week. First week is baby, then toddler, then teen, and finally adult. Baby is like a kitty and adult is like a horse - I guess I have to imagine what the other two might be. While the pawing doesn't sound bad, the trick is you have to be attached to a table with a rubber band while you are doing it. So Dave is telling me to do this in a nice fluid motion. Go up, paw the ground, go back and bring it up again - should look like an oval. So here is me going up, trying to paw and letting my leg jerk straight back. More like an odd triangle.... Dave is trying to encourage me and keep from laughing at the same time. I said "I'm directionally challenged - I cannot make these shapes." I also can't tell my right from left on a regular basis.

Being the "good" patient I strapped up my leg a while ago and tried to do my pawing. My cat was highly amused! It actually went a bit more smoothly - almost like an oval motion. I was pleased. Now Dave had said to do it to both legs so I can stand on the bad one. So I diligently strapped up the right leg. Got ready to do my stretch and realized that I had the band going in fromt of my left leg so if I had tried to stretch it, I would surely have knocked myself down! As I turned myself around I could just picture Dave trying not to laugh his head off. Have to say it made me smile.

Anyway... I am off to stimulate the economy and will be back to do more exercises.

Take care everybody!

Is it a cat? A heating pad? A basket with legs???

Happy Monday! Not really but seemed like the thing to say. At least it is over. Do you have a hard time getting up on Monday morning? I sure do!

I think I've mentioned before that I have two cats - Katie and Rizzo. Rizzo is the daredevil - also the mouthy one. I have a box with my recycle basket sitting on top of it in the living room. (Yeah, just believe I keep it there for the cats....) Both of them like to jump up there and curl up. Sometimes they take turns and sometimes both are there at once. The other day Rizzo was up there. Not sure what she did but all of a sudden I heard a thud and the basket fell off. I expected to see her come running but didn't and didn't really think too much about it. A little bit later I got up and looked over and she had somehow managed to get herself caught UNDER the basket when it fell! We all know how cats hate to be embarrassed but it was so dang funny! The basket would take a few steps forward then stop. I was really enjoying it until I took pity on her and let her out. Wish I'd had a video of that one!

Her other habit lately is to jump up on me and curl up for a nap. Like most cats, it is all about HER so she jumps above whatever I might be reading or writing and blocks me from it. She likes to stretch out so she is usually laying across me. She's nice and warm and could easily be a substitute for a heating pad! Especially that kind that is shaped like a tube and you can heat in the microwave. I've decided instead of being annoyed at her, I will just enjoy the 10 or 15 minutes she is napping. I put my head back, close my eyes and enjoy the warmth. Ahhh....

Maybe today's motto should be instead of stopping to smell the flowers, stop to hug your kitty! Or puppy... It will be good for both of you!

Take care!

I'm baaack!

I'd like to say that I've been away on a safari but that would require getting on an airplane so not.... Just haven't made myself sit down and write.

Can we catch up? I've been to Indy 3 or 4 times. Found a motherlode of craft books! Had minor surgery - for the second time in 30 days. Wasn't expecting THAT one! All is well.

Had another bad doc experience. This was one I had thought was good so it really threw me. I was afraid to see my good doc last week lest he turn on me! Thank God he is still good! Actually he sets the bar for the others. My cellmate at work keeps telling me doctors don't like it when you tell them what you think they should do. (Well, GET OVER IT!) So as we got going I was telling him what I thought I needed and he was giving me dirty looks so I asked. I said "Am I the kind of patient you hate?" He said "I wouldn't say hate.... You just have to understand that I have an engineering background so I go from a to b to c trying to determine what you need. And you're all the way down here telling me what you think I should do!" I think he was just annoyed. I can live with that! And high points to him for nicely explaining why I should sit patiently. :-)

Oh, yeah - I'm in PT again for pain in my hip and difficulty stepping up. Weds. brought a surprise breakthrough! One of the exercises seems to have actually solved the problem! I am sooooo happy about that! This PT is another one who raises the bar. Although I have to say I have been blessed to have had wonderful PTs when I've needed them. They are so important to our functioning properly! He DID call me a turkey though.... More about that another day.

The sun was out, the day was warm - what a great reminder spring is almost here for real! Hope your day was sunny, too. Take care!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Started off the day with light snow. Fortunately it melted off quickly. Spring can't come too soon! Speaking of spring... I saw my first robin!!! She was next door then flew over to visit after I threw bread out. That says spring to me like nothing else! Well, that and seeing spring training on tv....

I'll be glad when all the heart shaped and cutely decorated things are out of sight. It's hard to resist heart shaped pizza and cookies and pretty pink cupcakes. But it's hard not to love a day that's all about love!

I hope you had a sweet day!

Where have all the good docs gone?

If you've been following along, you know I run a support group for knee replacement surgery (TippecaKnees). The whole reason I felt compelled to start that group was because so many people were getting no information or bad information from their doctors. I just encountered this again this week. Two of the questions I asked after my surgery were answered in very broad terms such as "Use common sense". Turns out there were a few more things I needed to know. I could have potentially reinjured my wrist by following that non-advice. It's a toss up as to whether I have no common sense or that is too broad but I would have tried to struggle through what probably would have happened had I not gotten better information from another source.

This event just brought back all my feelings after my knee surgery. I was so frustrated by non-answers and I could so easily have had an unsatisfactory outcome from my surgery. I hear similar things from people who email or call me about their surgeries. It makes me wonder how many of the people who have bad results from surgery got that way because their doctor didn't give them enough information.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD DOCS GONE???? I know there are still some out there - I have a few myself. And I am so very grateful to have found them! They listen, they answer, they don't rush me out the door. They educate me so that I can properly take care of myself. So it frustrates me greatly to run into one who doesn't seem to care. What is wrong with our medical system that we have so very many doctors that either feel pressured not to take the time or just don't care enough to spend the time working with their patients?

I guess I'm just another voice talking about the problems with the country's medical system. If you're reading this and you've found a good doctor or good information, please share that with someone else going through the same thing. If we all help each other, we will all be stronger.

Take care of you!

Wow! Time has flown!

Can't believe it's been so long since I last wrote! Time is flying by. I guess that's good because this winter has not been much fun! Two days way below zero, more snow and more snow. I'm ready for spring! Dang that Phil for his forecast!

Been off the computer for a while because I had carpal tunnel surgery last week. On my right hand - the dominant hand of course. It was one heck of an interesting experience! My thriftng pal Ann took me and sweet Cindy picked me up. Thanks, guys! I wanted to be alone while in prep and surgery - I'm weird like that. All went well. I would probably feel a lot better if I would remember to not pick up heavy things with my wrist bent! I think my doc should have given me some "Try not to be so stupid" pills! Stitches come out Weds. They look like dead flies on my hand so I'll be glad to have them go!

I'm one who can't sit still so after the first couple of days I have had to struggle to keep myself from doing things like cutting, using the mouse, lifting things.... I've watched movies and read but the hands aren't happy being still!

I did find out about another senior discount. Good buddy, Carol, let me twist her arm and we went down to Lebanon. The Chinese buffet has a 10% discount AND yummy food! If you aren't familiar with it, it is in the same shopping center as Walmart. The snow had melted off the main roads and it was sunny - just the kind of day I love! And a much needed break from being inside.

Limited hand use on the computer so this will be short. Hope you all are staying warm!

A bunch of chicks sittin around talkin

Today is the second Sunday of the month - a special day. Once a month a group of friends and fellow crafters meet on Sunday afternoon to eat, talk and work on crafts. Hence the name - Crafternoon.

There were 8 of us there today. We do a variety of things: weaving, spinning felting, knitting, cross stitch, crochet and needlepoint. We generally have to give update on our projects or do a show n tell of what we are working on. Each person brings food so the meeting starts off with everybody filling their plates to enjoy the goodies. After we're done we move on to the work. And of course we can't just work silently. We talk about work, kids, trips - anything and everything. It is so relaxing to have this time away from the rest of our lives! I highly recommend this to anyone who has been thinking about it - get a group started - it's really worth it! To Donna, Jane, Vanda, Ann, Susan, Andrea and Connie - thanks! You made the afternoon a pleasure.

Oh, yeah, we also seem to get on the topic of food. I heard that Pizza Hut offers a 15% discount for seniors ($.50 off on the buffet) and apparently has some type of gold card that you can get to show that you qualify. Good news for us Pizza Lovers!

Hope you had a good weekend. Take care!

I'm a big chicken

So yesterday I had lunch with my friend, Karen. We had a nice lunch catching up and sharing stories about our sweet sons and the surprise gifts they gave us this year. I thought I was safe from this singing challenge but when we got to the door she said "Okay, I'm ready." GULP! I totally chickened out! Maybe next time.... I do love that CD so was able to talk about many of the songs. I hear them playing in my head many times a day. "Not Afraid" by Stephanie Smith. Go buy it!

While looking for the CD online, I found a couple of bargain places. One was Tower records where they had it for 40% off! Wow!

It is a pretty yucky day in Indiana. Overcast, some sleet, supposed to snow. I am glad that so far we have escaped what was predicted. Originally they said 6 inches of snow! Now it's down to about one. That I can handle. I can't believe we've had so much snow and it's only the beginning of January. I want winter to be over!

Hope you are staying warm and safe today. Take care!

A FANTASTIC new voice - Stephanie Smith

By now you know that I like to sing along to the radio. And CDs... and the tv... There is a fairly new video on the web by a fairly new artist, Stephanie Smith. She is a contemporary Christian artist. Her video, and her first CD which was released December 23rd, are titled "Not Afraid". I have got to say that this is one catchy tune!

I have been watching it over and over and mentioned to her mother that I had seen it so much, I figured I could now sing it. So she has thrown down the challenge to sing it the next time we have lunch. Yep, make that connection - her mother and I are friends! We started sharing about the time Stephanie signed with Gotee so I feel like the proud adoptive aunt who has been following along. I am SO excited! I ordered the CD the night before the release. I'm now on my fourth copy because I keep giving mine to friends. Her sound is mainly rock but there are some slower songs almost like ballads including the bonus track which is a heartbreaking song if you have been in the same situation. Let's see, what more can I say? Give it a listen!! Her video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqZqNSS9wnQ

Now back to this challenge thing.... Those of you who are related and those of you who have known me for a while, know how horribly off key I sing. I do often make up for that in enthusiasm! Still, this song will be a challenge that will have her mother in hysterics. I only hope that she doesn't record it on her phone or it will also have Stephanie rolling on the floor.

It's been a nice but short holiday. Hope you all have enjoyed it!

Back to real life again! Take care!