I'm ok

The test went just fine.
My sister picked me up and took me in about 1:00pm and I finally got into the operating room at 2:30. I was out by 3:00pm and home sleeping at 4:00pm.
Doc Z said all is fine, I have a few polyps but nothing to be concerned about. He took a biopsy of a couple and is sending them in. He will have the results by Friday. He's not concerned nor am I.
The funny part is, (most of you have heard this)I went to have a colonoscopy in 1999 and was all embarrassed because I know Doc Z pretty well, and I am very, painfully shy!! To have a friend (doctor or not) look up my butt was/is devastating! To ease the tension in the room I decided to pull a joke on him by writing hi or something on my butt. Well a few days before the procedure I was shopping and saw these wax lips with fangs.....

hehehehe my mind says to me...go ahead, buy them! So I did!!
I was wheeled into the room and I asked the crew to go along with the joke, so they did, reluctantly.
Doc Z came into the room and was very nice to me and was explaining everything to me. He was so kind I actually was feeling like a big heel with these wax lips sticking out my butt under the sheets. hehehehe
He gave me the drugs via IV and lifted the sheet, and all I remember is him yelling "OH MY G--D" and the crew giggling before I went under the effects of the drugs. He probably gave me an extra shot just to get back at me!
When he woke me up he was explaining the procedure and what they found, then he gave me the pictures of my diverticuli and the last picture was...yep..the wax lips! He said that was a copy, and he is saving the original for blackmail!! YIKES!
Back to today....Three nurses came up to me and asked if I was going to do anything this time, and I said no. They wheeled me into the operating room and the man that works the machines said "oh lookie here, what do you have for us today"? I said nothing. I think everyone was disappointed. Doc Z said that it startled him so much that day that he still has nightmares about it!! Then they made me gargle this thick icky liquid and then swallow it, then they sprayed me with more numbing junk. He was smiling, and I said you are really enjoying this aren't you!?! He just smiled.
I came home and ate a sandwich and slept for three hours. Now I am going to finish this and go back to bed.
Have a great Wednesday, folks!!

Why do doctors leave the room while you change?
They're going to see you naked anyway.

Blah blah blah and more blah!

Well I have been delinquent in posting, but I get here when I can.
This morning I went to Church and came home to do chores and the power went out. Wind gusts over 60mph!! Whooppee, naptime!!
I napped all day yesterday too because I was up all night with severe tummy ache and then sat on the toilet for an hour, then I was fine. Something going through my system (it is going around). I felt drained...hahahaha...really!
So this weekend was literally shot!
Tomorrow is Water Aerobics which I dearly look forward to now! Miracuously so does my sister!! It is so good for the both of us, and extra good for her to get out and see some different people other than Bob and her animals. Don't take me wrong, Bob is a good guy, but he is WEIRD and a steady diet of Bob is bad for your mental health!! HAHAHAHA Sorry Bob, if you read this, but you know what I mean!! And is it me, or is she actually talking like she is talking to her animals? You know, in that sweet wittle smoochy talk we say to our doggies? Nah.

Tuesday I look forward to an EGD!(explanation below). Since I had a month of severe esophagitis, they want to check out my esophagus. No problem, says I. Doc Z (Zavaruha)explained it to me and I smiled when he said he will give me some happy juice to get me through this. Well a die-hard alcoholic would tell the doctor no way will they take the drugs because of their sobriety. Well I have been sober for 19 years and 9 months. I am not afraid I will go out and get druink over this, so give me a double dose please, and send me home to sleep it off thank you very much!!
And no, I am not going to change my sobriety date over this!
It's MY program, so there!

Well time for bed! I need to try and get that hour back we lost last night! I will be pissed for the entire time until the Fall when they give it back to me!!

Gastric endoscopy

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is an examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum with a small camera (flexible endoscope) which is inserted down the throat.

You will be given a sedative and an analgesic. A local anesthetic will be sprayed into your mouth to suppress the need to cough or gag when the endoscope is inserted. A mouth guard will be inserted to protect your teeth and the endoscope. Dentures must be removed.

In most cases, an intravenous line will be inserted into your arm to administer medications during the procedure.

You will be instructed to lie on your left side.

After the gag reflex has been suppressed by the anesthetic, the endoscope will be advanced through the esophagus to the stomach and duodenum. Air will be introduced through the endoscope to enhance viewing.(oh swell, that's all I need is more air down there! Look out folks)!! The lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum is examined, and biopsies can be obtained through the endoscope. Biopsies are tissue samples that are reviewed under the microscope.

After the test is completed, food and liquids will be restricted until your gag reflex returns.

The test lasts about 5 to 20 minutes.

Fasting is required overnight (6 to 12 hours before the test). An informed consent form must be signed. You may be told to stop aspirin and other blood-thinning medications for several days before the test.

The local anesthetic makes swallowing difficult. This wears off shortly after the procedure. The endoscope may stimulate some gagging in the back of the throat. There may be a sensation of gas, and the movement of the scope may be felt in the abdomen. Biopsies cannot be felt. Because of the intravenous sedation, you may not feel any discomfort and may have no memory of the test.

This test is helpful in determining:

The cause of upper GI (gastrointestinal) bleeding
The cause of swallowing difficulties
The presence of ulcerations or inflammation
The cause of abdominal pain
The condition of the stomach and duodenum after an operation
The presence of tumors or other abnormalities of the upper GI tract
Narrowing or tumors of the esophagus

The esophagus, stomach, and duodenum should be smooth and of normal color. There should be no bleeding, growths, ulcers or inflammation.

What abnormal results mean Return to top

An EGD may show:

Ulcers (acute or chronic)
Tumors
Inflammation of the stomach and duodenum
Diverticula (abnormal pouches in the lining of the intestines)
Mallory-Weiss syndrome (tear)
Esophageal rings
Esophagitis
Strictures
Gastric masses
Obstruction
Gastric ulcer
What the risks are Return to top

There is a small chance of perforation (hole) of the stomach, duodenum, or esophagus; There is also a small risk of bleeding at the biopsy site. A patient could have an adverse reaction to the anesthetic, medication, or tranquilizer. This reaction could cause:

Respiratory depression (difficulty breathing)
Apnea (not breathing)
Hypotension (low blood pressure)
Excessive sweating
Bradycardia
Laryngospasm (spasm of the larynx)
The overall risk is less than 1 out of 1,000 people.

Special considerations Return to top

If any of these conditions arise after the test, contact the health care provider:

Difficulty swallowing
Pain
Fever
Black stools
Blood in vomit

Update Date: 5/8/2006

Updated by: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Frankford-Torresdale Hospital, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like
every two hours?

A Cheap Saturday Night Date

For cheap thrills, if you have a cat, just throw some packing paper on the floor, wait awhile, then let the games begin!
Elliott is such a funny cat. He can amuse himself (and me) for hours on end. I never tire of watching him. Here he is sneaking up on his tiger/birdie toy. He walks by it then turns and pounces on it!
Then he "kills" it for a few minutes then stuffs it somewhere and leaves, then he walks by it again and acts like he didn't know it was there then sees it and pounces on it again!!
I can spend alot of money on toys, but his favorite is the tiger/bird first, then paper and then cardboard boxes.

Of course Punkin would have none of that nonsense! She is above that! She would never be caught dead acting like a kitten! No way!!
I had a busy Saturday. Mary Lou gets mad when I do too much. I only have one day a week to call my own so I try to make the most of it. I had an hour meeting at noon then went shopping and got home at 6:30 tonight. I started doing things in the kitchen, sat down and did some crochet, got up and did some more in the kitchen, crocheted, kitchen, then went to the computer. I called FTD to order some flowers and was on the phone for a long time (their computers were down) As I was ordering, I heard a POP...POP...POP.POP...I jumped up and cursed and ran in the kitchen, and sure enough, the 6 eggs I put on the stove (on high of course) decided 20 minutes was way too long to burn so they popped out of the very dry pan all over the kitchen!! I mean ALL OVER!! The guy on the phone was trying not to laugh, then I started laughing, and we both were hysterical!! I got my wallet to get my credit card and egg pieces were even in my purse. That got him laughing harder! DANG, I should have taken a picture of the mess, but it is all cleaned up now.
I called my sister and asked if I could borrow her dog, but she said Sadie doesn't like eggs. Phhffft!
So how was your FULL MOON Saturday night?"

Be eccentric now.
Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

Aerobics class #2

Well my second night of water aerobics went much better! Not once did my face go under water!!

It came close a few times though. It feels so good getting in the water and feeling weightless for once, bouncing around for an hour. I tried to get my feet out of the water like the instructor did, but my weight kept shifting in the water and wanting to turn my bod over!! HAHAHAHA Boy did we laugh!!
My sister went with me and I think she had fun! I'll let her tell her story! You gotta read her story of trying on her aqua tard!! HAHAHAHA
As we were bouncing around in the water, I had to let a poot. (fart) The water was all choppy with everyone jumping up and down so I thought it was safe. Well my bike shorts are tight when wet, and letting a big bubble of air loose just stays in the shorts!! In fact it was traveling around in my shorts frantically looking for a way out! It travelled in front and back, then finally found an escape route. I was giggling so hard I was crying!! We finished in an hour then we slowly stepped out of the pool. I hate that part!! We gain 200 pounds in a minute!
I saw the hot tub so plodded over to that and stayed there for about 15 minutes. ahhhhhh that was the best part!
Darn, we have another week to wait to go again!!

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,
severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and
with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is
a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
Jay Leno

Saturday???

I woke up today at 10:30 and walked around in a slumbered daze then at 1:30 decided to do the linens. When I came back to the bedroom I was chilled, so I jumped on the bed and pulled my down comforters over me and settled in for a long Winter's nap!! I woke up at 6:30 tonight and for the first half hour I was wandering around wondering what day it was, then when I sat down to watch the Oscars, Forest Gump came on. WHAA??? I walked back to my bedroom and saw that the sheets were off the bed and the cats are waiting for me to make the bed. Oh...it's still Saturday!!

Whew! Well that's great, 'cause I have a potluck to get ready for tomorrow. I am taking ham & cheese and turkey & cheese wrap sandwiches cut in small portions and some teriyaki wasabi meatballs. YUM!!
I have a few hours left of my Saturday so I am putzing as usual. Elliott just loves to watch me on the computer. I have a chair close by so Punkin & Elliott can sit close by me when I'm playing on the 'puter.

I found out yesterday that another friend of mine has been in the hospital since last Sunday on life support! She had flu like syptoms for a few days and finally her boyfriend made her go to the hospital and now she is barely hanging on to life.
She was sick for so long that her kidneys failed from dehydration. This is a wake up call for all of us. She is young, but the flu can still kill! Do not take it lightly. When you get sick go to the doctor!! Keep sports drinks in your refrigerator, and homemade chicken soup in the freezer. Theraflu for feverish symptoms, and drink lots of water, and CALL YOUR DOCTOR!! People need to be aware that even if it is not the bird flu, it can still kill. Two 2nd grade students died of this flu just about a week ago in the Seattle area.
Take care of yourselves folks!!

I was at a two day course this last Wed & Thur. NIMS ICS 300 This class follows the ICS 100, ICS 200 & ICS 700 which I took online. Egads, but the government can get pretty confusing!! Because in 911 we lost over 300 rescue personell, and during Katrina numerous lives were lost and everything was chaos, we are now required to take this training. I know, I am no longer in the Fire Department, but with the transit system here, were are the lead in Island County as transportation. So if any disaster happens, they need to know who to call, and we need to know what to do in a moments notice. Well this is Coupeville, and EVERYONE knows to call Phyllis when in doubt, but the training is necessary.
I thought it would be great to get my sister involved in the CERT program and in the Red Cross. She is retired and wanting to do something, and this volunteer effort is right down her line. Well maybe some day after we get her through the water aerobics on Monday nights!!
I sure know what I am going to be doing when I retire!!

Everything can change in the blink of an eye.
But don't worry; God never blinks.

My trip to Camano

I had to go to Camano Island today for a meeting with the Department of Emergency Management. I just love the drive. An hour and a half of country driving.
On the way over I saw this field of Snow Geese feeding on a farmers field. It was on the news tonight that the Geese are stripping the fields and making the farmers rather frustrated. I can see now why they are allowed to hunt there.
Although it is a pretty sight. I opened my window, and was listening. Boy, are they noisy!!
On the way home the weather started to get bad and I saw this rainbow and another one faintly above it. If you look real close there is one on the left.
I also noticed that the colors are reversed on the second rainbow. I don't know if I blogged about this before or not, but it is something I noticed this last year for the first time. Oh well something to ponder.
I have another busy week ahead of me....hey, it's half over now. Oh well, I have been busy as usual. But busy is good. Bored is bad.
Have a great week everyone, I will try and stay home and visit everyone this weekend. HA!!! (my sister says)!

Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don't save it for a special occasion.
Today is special.
You are special.

Wednesday's Wambling's.....er.....Rambling's

My sister told me I needed to blog. Ok, ok!!
I have been b-u-s-y! Saturday I went to lunch with some of Hannah's friends. Well one of them is stuck in a wheel chair so I came and got her and took her to lunch.
It was nice, but it took a big chunk out of Saturday. I took this picture of an old run down barn on the way home from her house.
Sunday was Church, then clean house. Monday was busy at work, and so was yesterday. I came home from work at 5:00 then got called back in at 6:30 and got home at 11:00pm. I can't tell you why. If I do, I'd have to shoot you.
Today I got off at 4:30 then went to a Bible study at 5:00, then another meeting at 7:00 and got home at 8:30. Now isn't that just exciting as heck?

Come on Friday!!!!

Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

Friday AT LAST!!!!

Whew, what a week! I worked 13 and a half hours on Wednesday. I was at a disaster Preparedness meeting for the community. As I was driving on the Island I noticed van set-ups for all the local television stations. Hmmm, I thought...how did they know I was coming, those sly little devils! I got to the office and as I got there our bus called in from Everett and said the bus stopped right in the middle of the busiest intersection in the City and of course it was 4:45pm!! Oh great! We finally had to call for a tow truck to get it to the Everett Station to get it out of the way of rush hour traffic! Our mechanics had to drive 60 miles to get there and fix it and drive it back to the Island! Ok, that was cool.
I was sitting in the office waiting for time to go to the meeting and two S.W.A.T. team guys came in asking when the bus gets to a certain road. I told them and asked why, and they said they are looking for an armed and dangerous guy that could be on the bus or trying to get on the bus. swell. Well he wasn't on the bus!! I went to the meeting on the south of the Island and as I was leaving the meeting at 9:00pm in the dark and rainy night I was walking across the parking lot all by myself and my mind says "Gee Phyllis, isn't this the neighborhood the cops are at looking for that ARMED AND DANGEROUS guy?" DOH! So I ran to my car (by the dark woods) and jumped in, locked the doors and got outa there lickity split!! No, those aren't drums I hear, that is my HEART!!! Okay, that was fun! I got home at 10:30 that night.
I checked the mail yesterday and got a package with a bottle of Extreme Lean Rx. WHA??? What kind of joke is this?? So I went online and asked Google to look it up: It is a FRAUD company!!!
I went to my credit card site and looked up my statement, and sure 'nuff there is a charge for $79.99 from Leanrx!! I got the phone and called my credit card company and told them, then they looked up my account and told me there were two more charges from and extremelean, and something else all totalling $239.45!! They told me to cut up my card. They are sending me a new card with a new number and are crediting me the charges. WHEW! I'm sure glad I caught that! Keep track of your bills folks! Check each statement and call your card company!!
I got that all taken care of and sat down to crochet and had two cats on my lap right away! I tried to get a good picture but couldn't! as you can see!

Elliott had to peek right into the camera as I was trying to get them both!!
Then my friend Bradon stopped by to see me! I hadn't seen him in months! Their family moved away, but they were visiting friends in the park here and he ran right over to see me! Awww, how sweet is that?!!

I just love my little friends that visit me!! Bradon is 12 and in the 6th grade.
Chris is 13 now and Brian will be 13 next month. I want them to know they will always be welcome in my house and this is a safe place! They will grow up in a few years but hopefully there will be other kids to visit me. I'm sure my house is marked!!
Well time to get to my AA meeting!! Tata folks!

Tip for the day: Pay off your credit cards every month.
I will, once I get these paid off in three years!!

It's my Birthday!!

The secret's out...I am a year older today!!
My brother and his wife Sherry stopped by and gave me this darling angel that Sherry made special for me.
I got this Tibeten pillow case in the mail from a special friend so I went to Wal-mart and got the stuffing and now it is a pillow in my living room!!
My three adopted Neices came by with their mom (my boss) & dad and gave me these darling gifts! The fuzzy puppy is from May (7) , the Unicorn is from Taichen (6) and the Raggedy Ann doll is from Meme (3). They picked them out all by themselves!!

How good can life get???


And hey, it did get better! My sister came over with this "Willow Tree" figurine that represents Good Health!! And I sure need that!! Thanks Mary Lou!

After the fire!

After the little fire I had in my house two weeks ago I am getting the after effects of it! All that yellow very fine powdery stuff that I sprayed out of the fire extinguisher is making my skin all rashy and ITCHY and my esophagus very painful!


I thought it was just nerves from the many memorials I have attended with the little fire on top of that. But I came down with a virus of some kind last week and stayed home Thursday. this last Wed I was at work and my chest was very painful. I was trying to burp, but the air bubble felt like it was stuck in my chest. I got home that night and was feeling feverish and the pain in my chest radiated around my back, and it felt like a big spasm. I called in to work and told them I might stay home again tThur. I woke up Thursday and could hardly swallow without my chest and back going into that painful spasm! I went to the doctor, and I did have a slight fever and I told her that I inhaled some fire extinguisher powder a week before. I looked up esophagitis and it can be caused by chemical irritation. She and I both agreed that it is the cause of the chemiclas that got in my esophagus and irrited it enough to cause all this pain. The virus I caught just made it seem much worse. If the pain is still with me on Monday, they will do an upper GI (YUCK) to see if there is anything to be concerned about.
The fever is almost gone today but the lump in my throat is still there.
From one thing to another. Such is life!
I am grateful today that this is just a passing thing!
There are so many other people that can't say this. My heart goes out to the people like Ellen that battle pain and sickness on a daily basis! God bless you, Ellen.

Spring is near!

Ah, the day is beautiful! The sun is out, blue skies, no wind and 50 degrees! I have all my windows open to air this house out! The cats are going crazy trying to get out, but I won't let them for until Elliott is feeling better! He will run to a neighbors house and eat the food.
I was in the kitchen grating carrots for some carrot muffins and the power went out and I heard a boom!! Well SWELL! Now what? I knew it wasn't my house because the power went out first then I heard the boom. Come to find out, a transformer blew over by the high school (1 block away). It came back on an hour later. Gads, I feel like we live in the sticks any more! That's ok, I am just fine without powerr for awhile.
I see the pussy willows are out and starting to go to pollen AAAAHHHHCHOOOO!
Thr rose bushes are starting to get little buds for leaves, so time to prune them. (tomorrow maybe).
Well time for a nappie poo.

Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

God is good

I went to work Monday for two hours then said I needed to go home and take care of my water heater. I went home and got my car and went to Oak Harbor and checked out the prices and models at Sears then at an appliance store. Sears was $20.00 more than the appliance store which was $249.00. The appliance store told me I had to have my heater removed and then call for a person to install it that might cost $500.00 or more!
I went home and felt very overwhelmed with frustration and stress. I called my pastor friend Tom and asked him for prayer. He told me to call a few other places then he and a friend would come over the next day and see what they could do. I gave my frustrations to God then called those places and found out that right next door to my trailer court is the water heater just my size and for $219.00!! To top things off, it was the ONLY water heater they had!! Whew.
Ok, then Tom came by to help me drain the heater. As he was doing that my brother called to ask what happened at my house last night, and of I was ok! I laughed and told him. He came over with his truck and removed my water heater and got the new one and they installed it and by 4:30pm I had hot water and was taking a nap!! PRAISE GOD!

Last night I noticed my cat Elliott was going to the litter box too many times and talking out loud and throwing litter EVERYWHERE!! uh-oh.
I took him to the Vet today and they took a urine sample and said he had blood in his urine and calcium deposits. They gave me some antibiotics to give to him and told me he has to be on a special diet. Swell! They sold me the food, $26.00 for a case of canned food and $21.00 for a 10# bag of dry food. Of course I have to give Punkin the same food so he won't cheat and eat hers! And being the disaster prepared person I am, I have ALOT of cat food to give to my sister now! PHFFFT!
I asked the Vet if it was ok to give him treats. NOPE!! OH GOSH, how am I going to get by with that? I won't be able to get to bed without giving them their treats!! I can't give Punkin hers and not let Elliott have his! Maybe I can sneak some of the dry food in a plastic bag and sprinkle it with catnip!
I'll try it!

I gave them the first can of food today and they both loved it!! HOORAY!! One hurdle over with.

I'll let you know tomorrow how the bedtime treats go!

Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

UPDATE: I gave them the catnip laced dry food at bedtime, and Elliott looked at it and sniffed it then looked at me with his ears back, and jumped down and went to play with his catnip toy. Punkin on the other hand gobbled all the food up and licked the sheets! Yep...she's my kitty alright!

Boy, am I lucky!!

I was going to bed early tonight because I have not been feeling well (allergies) and I went to the memorial today for my friend Dee. I am bushed. I took a hot shower and washed my hair then I talked with a few friends on the phone and was heading to bed. I decided at the last minute to get on my computer and look up a few things and I heard a snap sizzle type sound, then a bzzzzzzing. I shrugged my shoulders and thought it was just the hot water heater element getting ready to go out. (they do that alot here with our hard water). I heard it again and thought I will have to call Sears tomorrow and order a hot water heater. I then smelled something funny and went to the closet where the hot water heater is stored (stupid place)and pulled off the panel and flames were shooting up the side of the heater!! YIKES I thought, OH CRAP I said, Call 911!! So I ran into the kitchen to get the phone (There was a phone in the room I was in). I called 911 but I didn't push the talk button DOH! My mind then said go get the fire extinguisher, Phyllis....you were a firefighter for 15 years you dodo!! OH, Yeah!! So I put the fire out, then turned off the breaker switch to the heater then pushed the talk button on my phone and called 911. Smoke was filled in my room, and the dispatcher came on and calmly asked me all sorts of questions, and I was answering them, and I finally yelled GET THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HERE NOW!!
She said ok and I hung up. They got here within 5 minutes. The cops and fire department all know me so they came a running!

Needless to say, I don't think I will get much sleep tonight with all the adrenaline pumping through my body. I sure thank the Lord for making me go back to get on my computer before going to bed, otherwise my house would be gone by now!
Thank you Lord, Thank you!!
WHEW!

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

M&M meme image

What kind M&M are you?
I found this at Leslie's who found it at Aunt Murry's Place.
It was fun. In fact it kinda looks like me.

Peek-A-Boo!!

Elliott just loves it when I am changing the sheets and making the bed!
All I have to do is shake the sheets and he comes running! I throw the sheet up and he dives under it and fights it!
I get the giggles and eventually leave the room until he settles down so I can go back and finish making the bed!
Ah yes, and these are snuggly soft warm flannel sheets, too!
This has been a mentally tough week for me. Three friends died. I am going to a burial Friday and a memorial on Sunday.
Cats make me smile so here's a smile for you!

Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

More snow pics

Punkin was out in the snow today just long enough for this picture, then she ran back in to warm her tootsies!
Elliott was sitting in the backyard staring at the catnip barrell....I see why now. This orange cat does not belong there!! He came looking for a good time!! Hmmm, I better take him to catnip's anonymous!
This is my house yesterday morning as the sun came up.
This is the trees next to where I work. It looks so Wintry, doesn't it?
God, I love this place where I call home!!
Everyone have a safe weekend!!

Aspire to inspire before you expire.

I am one LUCKY gal!

Last night it was very windy again, in fact probably the windiest yet here. I got home and started cooking my dinner before the power went out. I turned the burner on high and put the meat in the pan and pop! The power went out. I had my friend with me and it was funny how I never really batted an eye, I went to the cupboard and got the campstove out, put it on the stove (after it cooled) and finished dinner. I cleaned up and left the grill out for coffee in the morning.
I went to bed at 8pm because I was to go out at 2:00am to check the roads so the buses can get out there.
I woke up at midnight and the power was still out so I turned over and the power came on. I was going to stay in bed but decided to get up and check email, news, etc. I was sitting at the kitchen table and smelled something hot. I looked around and saw the campstove with propane bottle smoking!! MY GOSH, I forgot to turn off the burner I was cooking on and put the stove on top of the burner when the power went off!! I jumped up and turned off the burner then carefully pulled the hot smoking campstove with propane bottle off the burner.
WHEW!! Am I one lucky gal!! I could've lost my house. If I didn't wake up when I did or if the power came on before I woke up I'd be a goner for sure!!
That wasn't a coincident, it was a coinciGOD!! Thank you Lord for waking me up!!
And I was a firefighter for 15 years, and I am the Safety officer for work!
We all make DUMB mistakes once in awhile, but I'm the first to admit, that was DUMB!!

I went to work and checked the roads, there were numerous, too many to count that were down over the roads, but I do believe they were cut up and sold for firewood before they hit the ground! Alot of guys have pickup trucks with chainsaws in the back. I got back to the office and went home around 8:00am and slept for 4 hours. I woke up at 1pm and noticed it was snowing hard. Then the phone rang and I was up and running again checking out the roads. We got about 4 inches in and hour. It was beautiful and dangerous! It took me a half hour to go a mile because there were so many cars in the ditches. I guess it hit hard and fast! The storm has stopped and now it is COLD!! We are getting an Arctic blast coming down from Canada (thank you Leslie and Kat).

Go wish my sister a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Tomorrow is her birthday and she loves snow, so she got her wish.

Mice stories

I was visiting Heather and she was talking about her cat bringing her a mouse.
That brought memories of a few incidents of mine.
I was taking a shower (don't ya just love the shower stories) and I felt weird. I looked over at the shower curtain and right there on TOP of the shower rod was a tiny mouse watching me!! Of course I squeeled and the mouse disappeared quickly!!

Another time I was in bed asleep and woke up listening to my cat chasing something in the bedroom. I ignored it and went back to sleep. I was laying on my stomach with my head resting on my arms. I felt a tug at the comforter and ignored it. I then felt a tug and a tickle by my ribs. I reached down to scratch and at that time I woke up realizing I had a mouse in bed with me!!! Well I levitated as did the mouse, and my nightgown! I think we were all suspended in space for a nano second, then I squeeled and ran away naked without touching the floor!(nightgown still suspended in air) I think the mouse was a step ahead of me running in fear, and my cat was snuggling down into the warm part of the bed.

Once I was getting dressed for work and was putting on my winter shoes from the back of the closet. I was pushing my foot into the shoe and there was a resistance, so I kept pushing thinking geeze, I've even gained weight in my feet! Well after shoving and pushing, I grabbed the shoe and reached in and found a bloated dead mouse in there!!
EEEEYYYYUUUUU! Yep those shoes went out to the trash along with my tomcat!! (not really, I kept the cat but heaven knows why).

My sister has a few stories of her own.

I haven't had as many incidents since I closed off the cat door.

Any other stories out there?

I was always taught to respect my elders,
But it keeps getting harder to find one.

My sister called me a Bitch!

I went to bed early last night (7PM). I fell at work and wrenched my back so went to the Chiropractor and took 2 nighty nighty night pain pills and went to bed. About 11:30 I woke up to the wind hitting my bedroom window. It hit hard, so I got up and looked out the window just in time to see the night sky light up in a bright blue and my lights blinked. Uh-oh. I got up and the wind was getting even stronger coming out of the west. I was on my computer talking with Mary Lou and my lights blinked again so I turned off the computer. The news said that tomorrow we will get the stronger storm. Geeze, enough already!
Mary Lou called me this morning and I told her I never lost my power, and that is when she said "BITCH"! She lost her power last night when I saw the sky turn bright blue.
We are supposed to get really cold next week and possible snow. This is for sure one of the weirdest weather years ever!
Hope everyone is safe and warm.

"You can say any foolish thing to a dog,
and the dog will give you a look that says,
'My God, you're right!
I never would've thought of that!'"
~ Dave Barry

A New Year....Same ole weather!

Good grief, yesterday we had alot of wind. In fact for two days we had alot of wind! The power went out at work for almost three hours, so we all sat around yakking and my boss ordered pizzas, then the power came on. Isn't it strange that we think of food during a crisis, and it cheers people up? I am going to make another trip to Walmart to get a few more battery lamps for back-up. I just listened to the weather report and they mentioned a few snowflakes. WHAAA???? This is unheard of here! I am not complaining one bit, I love the stuff, but it certainly is an unusual Winter here. (must be them terrorist folks)!

I came home tonight and the power started to fade. It didn't go completely off, but it faded then came back on, so I turned the 'puter off just in case.
I had my Bible study class here anyway. We meet every Wednesday night at 7pm. We are studying the letters from Paul. Right now we are on 1 Corinthians. It is amazing what I am learning. I've never studied the Bible before. The messages are great even if a person doesn't believe in Jesus as their saviour. (Which I do). It teaches us to be kind, to treat your body good, and I LOVE the message about marriage in 1 Corinthians 7:28 "If you have a wife, do not end the marriage, but if you do not have a wife, do not get married. But if you do get married, it is not a sin. However, I am trying to spare you the extra problems that come in marriage".

HAHAHAHA after a friend (A pastor) has been harping on me to get out there and date and find a man to marry!

Ah, tomorrow is Thursday already! I just love these short weeks.

"Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?
I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize,
Oh my God.... I could be eating a slow learner."
~ Lynda Montgomery