When did I get old?

Ok, I'm 41. That's not old...I don't feel old! My Mom tells me I'm not old, so it must be true! I took a vacation day to go to a few appointments, you know, stuff you can't do after 6 pm or before 6:30 am...the time I'm at work. I had a well check up set to get the basics covered, ask a few questions, show off the cholesterol results I got elsewhere, etc. I got a call to reschedule as my Dr. called in sick!! Ok, I'll have to schedule another day off to reschedule that! Next thing on the agenda was to make some calls that I can't make during my off time...got those done!! ( I dread making calls! If only things went right so I didn't have to bug people to do their job right!!).
Next stop was to get my eyes checked. When I was 12, I got glasses; I had 20/20 but needed a bit of help while reading. I've had my eyes checked over the years and had the same prescription...no change. Lately my glasses seem to be of no help at all. I can't read the tote cards at work, can't see well at night while driving, nothing looks quite right. Well, I figured I would need stronger glasses, duh. I'm getting...bifocals! Aren't those for old people? I'm not old! The Dr. just said, "Welcome to your forties!"
I've been trying to live healthier...hey, I said trying! We walk the dogs, we plan our dinner menu (works better than winging it after 10 hours at work!), I'm working on quitting smoking...see, I'm trying. Despite all of my efforts, I'm getting older. When did this happen? I work out at work! I lift ladders, brakes, scaffs/stages, etc. all day long! I walk miles at work! How am I getting old?
On the happier side...Grandbaby number 6 is due in Feb. the ultrasound will be done this week to (hopefully) find out what it is! Grandbaby number 5, Eli, is having tubes put in his ears later this month. Babies are fun! Hey- I don't have any permanent ones at my house, so they are fun!!
I have only two questions...Mom, when did I get old, and why didn't you tell me?!?

Waiting for check up...

Saturday, I took my Granddaughter (with her Mommy and Bubby) to the Dr. for another ear infection. It's been a constant issue since she was tiny. This was not her regular Dr. and the exam was a bit different. This time they looked at her throat (hard to do when they're little!) making the discovery that she has a bifid uvula. You know, the hangy thing at the back of your throat...hers is heart shaped. The Dr. mentioned this casually and added that it may indicate problems with her soft palate. She didn't say much else, I guess since Mommy mentioned that she has already been refered to the ENT to look into tubes in her ears. Of course, Gramody, being the internet junky that I am, had to look into it... I found that there are alot of things that indicate there may be more to Xaira's health issues than we thought-and an explanation to some of the things that have come up. From what I read, this can be serious.
I printed off some basic info. and told my daughter to talk to the ENT and mention this stuff. He jumped on it and plans to look her over thoroughly on Monday. I tried to make sure that Aubrey understood that this is important, without scaring her... but I am worried. Xaira is tiny for her age. She was treated for reflux almost from birth because she had milk coming out of her nose. She is on her 10th ear infection in the 20 month of her life. She was a late walker. All of this seems fairly simple to accept one at a time, but when you look at her health history and put it all together...Wow! She may have a cleft palate. It's just not obvious since her lip isn't cleft. She does have a hemangioma on her lip-and it stops where the line is where her lips eventually joined.
http://www.vcfsef.org/
Regardless of what they find, she is a beautiful little girl with a stubborn streak and a funny sense of humor. She will get through whatever is thrown at her. She's a red head with attitude! I will update after Monday. I'm hoping for good news, but with what I've read...we can be glad that she's as healthy as she is.

Another year...

Well, it's another year...again. Each year seems to fly by quicker than the last. I know, everyone says that (except the kids-time is different when you're a kid), but it feels like each year is shorter and shorter. The last year had alot of changes, additions and losses, but alot of unmemorable days in there. This year will bring more changes, at least one new addition we know of, and hopefully not so many losses. Of course the everyday stuff seems to fade.
Last year we had just said goodbye to our dog, Chelsea. It was hard, I felt so lost without her to greet me when I got home. We adopted Apollo in Jan. He's been a great addition! He keeps us busy, has us walking more than we expected and he's a great snuggler! In Nov. we got Kipper, Apollo's new sister. She is a bordercollie, almost 10, and very sweet! She seems willing to accept any and all attention we are willing to give. She loves taking walks with us, and is quickly finding a spot in all of our hearts! Her and Apollo seem to like having a buddy around.
I've got 4 Grandbabies, and we will have another one around the beginning of April! It's a boy! I guess I should quit with the "Grandbabies" word and just say Grandkids...2 are in school now! They keep getting bigger and able to do more!
Last August, I quit my job in retail!! I work for a great company-holidays off with pay, real insurance, and no grouchy customers!! I do miss some of the people from retail, but I don't miss the headache! After years in retail, I do know how to shop. I know how to treat the employees; understand what they put up with day in and day out. I do wish everyone knew how to be a human while in public. Unfortunately, the general public is getting worse and worse...no offense to any of you, but it's true. I'm so sick of people being selfish, refusing to be responsible for their actions, and expecting the rest of the world to give them everything!
I'm sure I'll post more of my opinions later...
For now, Happy New Year! Let's all try to make 2007 a better year. If we all try do do a few nice things-for others-it will be a better world!

Just a Thought: Computers & Family

Just a Thought: Computers & Family

Computers & Family

Some families are lucky; they live close enough to keep in touch easily. Others, like mine, are scattered all over the world. In the precomputer days, many families would keep in touch with occasional letters and rare visits. There are still families living the old way, not really knowing what's going on until the yearly Christmas newsletter comes. There are others families that are computer literate-to some degree- that keep in touch regularly through e-mail, digital pictures, etc. Our family shares everyday trials, triumphs and pictures online.
I live in Wisconsin. My Mom lives in Florida. I have brothers all over the place-NJ, PA, Greenbay, Trinidad... and soon, Afganistan (hopefully an uneventful year with a happy return!). We can all keep in touch, share thoughts and ideas, send pictures of events the same day they happen, and feel closer than we are geographically.
My Mom has decided to move up near us. Because we have the computers, I can check out potential apartments and take digital pictures...Mom can "see" the places and get a feel for them. I can check out neighborhoods and let her know about rescources near each place. Sure makes the decision making easier from state to state!
One of my brothers is interested in buying a place to live...in Wisconsin. He currently lives in New Jersey. He has found places online, but there are some things you can't find out from a realtor's site...things you have to see before you buy. Today, I'm going to check out a very unique property for him, camera in hand. From the visit, I can get shots of parts of the house not shown on the ad site, draw up a basic floorplan so he can see the layout, and ask more questions. Of course, if my visit proves fruitful and he is really interested in buying, he will come out and check it out himself. Having me prescreen just saves him from wasting trips to find the places aren't what he wants.
See how the computer helps families!? I was able to share pictures of my Grandbabies as soon as I got home from the hospital! When I needed to find a ride for my (then 13 yrs) daughter to get her to camp, I just posted on the family website and a cousin responded! He was going that way at the same time, and sure he would take her! The busfare wasn't the issue...a 13 year old girl alone on the bus was. Jeff saved my nerves! We post plans for camping trips, the family reunion, health issues (prayer requests are common...but it's also an ongoing family medical update!). The things we share on the computer also provide conversation topics when we do call. A good ice breaker for those we haven't talked to in a long time..."Hey! I saw that picture of you and the kids at the park - they sure are getting big!" That sure brings you closer!
One of my brothers lives in another country. I've never been there. He posts pictures and blogs full of things you won't find just by looking up Trinidad. I have a better idea of where he lives. Do you know what your brother ate for lunch yesterday? I may not know daily, but occasionally, I see pictures of dinner plates! Sounds weird, but it makes you feel closer just being part of the everyday life that is so far away.
Obviously, if you're reading this, you are on a computer. How about some of your faraway family? Could you see being closer if they had one? Wouldn't it be nice to share a few tidbits of your everyday life more often? Think about it...

Wow! Today didn't suck...

I started out last week with the flu-feeling horrible, it's moved to my chest. Everyday, I hoped I'd wake up feeling better and only felt worse...today I felt better. Ok, not great, not healthy, but I'm not exhausted and the coughing has become productive! Now I know why I felt so bad...all the green stuff coming out of me shouldn't have been there!! That said, I got up and got started on my day. I put on a few layers and took Apollo for a walk. I've been so sick, and the weather in Wisconsin has been horrible the last few days, so he was happy to get a walk first thing!
I had to chisel the ice off my car this morning, but it didn't feel as cold as I expected. Next I was off to work. Traffic was pretty good, I had to leave right at school drive time, but didn't have any problems today! The city of Beloit was on the ball with the ice storm and the roads were great, too. Wow! This is My Wednesday...I have Mon. & Tues. off, so Friday is my hump day, and it was starting off pretty well!
I got to work with plenty of time for a cup of coffee before punching in. Always a good way to start! I got back to my dept. and the freezer looked pretty good. It's pretty full, but there's not much we can do about it yet. We are getting a ton of new products in and right now, there's nowhere to put them! Of course, when you get new things, something old has to go. We have had alot of items "deleted" from our shelves, and we are putting new things in where there is room (not where it will go, but we are still waiting for the papers on where that is!). That has brought on alot of anger from people that want to know where _____ is. Today, people were pretty good about us not carrying whatever it is they are looking for! Wow-reasonable people in my store!! The whole day went really well. Plenty of room for all of the pallets that came in, help with unloading the truck, decent customers, and management left me alone! Can it get any better?!
I got home in 14 minutes (pretty good!). Tim had managed to open the back gate before he left this morning, so the backyard was available for Apollo's evening potty! I took Apollo out back and he went straight for the frisbee...then I discovered that the white stuff in our yard was being held there be a thick layer of ICE!!! The whole yard is solid ice!! Not good for frisbee. First, Apollo slid instead of jumping. He quickly figured out how to walk on it, but running and jumping and Stopping were a bit different! He managed to catch a few, but most were being picked up by the wind and not as predictable as normal throws. Poor Apollo! If he missed (and he did!), the frisbee landed curved side down...on the ice. He would end up nosing it around the yard trying to get it flipped over! I'm glad it was fairly early, because he barked alot at it! He figured out how to use his front paws to try to turn it, but then he only had 2 paws on the ice and slid a bit. I'm almost positive he could learn to ice skate! He did pretty good, considering. I wish I could have had the camera out there! Video would have been a comedy!! He was willing to go in after about 15 Freezing minutes. Poor Apollo. I can't wait for spring!!
We got in, Apollo got his dinner and a treat. I got the mail...No bills!! I got an offer for a pre-approved home equity loan, another for home refinancing, and a flyer for a painkiller! No bills, that's good. The mail went into the recycle bin.
That was my day so far. Might not be exciting, but it wasn't bad. I'll take a normal, boring day over a bad one anytime! Apollo and I had fun, Tim will be home soon, and all is well.

Enter Apollo

Well, we finally admitted that we couldn't live in a world without dogs. Tim came home from work one night and said, "Honey, find us a dog!" I did. I picked Apollo up last Monday morning...and we've been having a great time ever since!
Apollo is a 5 year old Border collie / Black lab mix. He is awesome! We were looking for a dog that would be OK with the grandkids, be able to handle our moody cat, and like to play with us. Xavier, my 4 year old grandson, met Apollo Sat. afternoon, and hasn't stopped talking about him since! We went out in the grey, drizzly backyard and played frisbee for about 1/2 hour! Apollo's face lit up when Xavier walked in the door! It had been 5 days since he said goodbye to his previous kids, so he was quite happy to have a small person to play with. Xavier came over again today for more frisbee and snuggle time.
Did I mention that Apollo loves to snuggle? He is a great snuggler! It's been a real snuggle week. We have gotten into a pretty good routine on work days, getting in alot of play and run time...but he seems to look forward to cuddle time.
We take a walk in the morning and play a bit of frisbee before work, and again after work. Before bed, we take another walk...too much barking to play frisbee in the dark of night! In between, he gets up on the bed and just lets us pet, hug and brush him. OK, the brushing is tolerated as long as I stay away from a few areas...his chin is off limits! He is really getting used to the whole routine.
I've been working with Apollo on a few commands for agility. He is very smart, he learns quick! He knows come, sit, stay, wait, outside, backyard, walk, shake and probably a few more. We've been working on "watch me." Training is pretty easy, we have found him to be Very FOOD motivated!
Apollo is the God of Light. He sure has brightened our lives! Look for more adventures of Apollo!