After The Ball

Yesterday was one busy day for me, which explains maybe why I didn't get around to posting anything all day then.

For openers, my body - specifically my back, left leg and intestines - has been giving me more fits the past couple of days than I really care to deal with. What had become the norm before then was more than adequate in my opinion so I don't exactly welcome the addition of the new aches and pains in my left side - in addition to those already swirling around along my right side, down the ribcage there, which are being caused by the case of shingles I've been trying to heal from for the past 5 plus weeks. Enough, already!

But yesterday also just happened to be my birthday. Yeah, I hit the big 62 mark so now I am really, officially, a senior citizen - on the lower tier though. Age 65 is the true line of demarcation in my book, you know.

My daughter, Mandy, fixed a very nice dinner - lasagne and garlic bread - and the two middle step-grandchildren were here for the day and for dinner as well as my "favorite son". Then, after supper, two of my neighbors (and best friends) Kate and Shirley stopped by for cake and to chit chat - something we don't do very often. Kate is the same age as me and we have been best friends since we were first able to walk and talk. Shirley is Kate's oldest sister and is 8 years older than us but has become a very close friend to me over the past 30 plus years since I moved back to the home area. Both are really great people and I am very blessed to have them both as close friends and a part of my life for ALL these past 62 years now.

My little granddaughter, who will be 3 on the 18th of this month - had learned to sing the "Birthday song" about two weeks ago now - so we were really anxious to see how she reacted yesterday to my cake and everyone singing "happy birthday" to me. It was too cute! She was in her high chair and as everyone began to sing, she got very quiet - just sat there looking around at everyone with a look of wonderment on her face as if to say "What the heck is going on here anyway?" When the family and friends finished singing, then Maya started to sing by herself and clapped when she finished her rendition for all of us! Yep, as I said - just too cute for words, really!

My kids and I decided how we are going to handle the funeral stuff for my Aunt who passed away on Friday. My girls, Carrie and Amanda, are going to drive up to Corry this afternoon for the evening viewing and tomorrow, my son is going to skip his truck driver training classes for the day and will drive me up so he and I can then attend the funeral. There was no way all four of us could attend together due to the girls work schedules and Clate's schedule too so we decided this would be the best way for all concerned. There is no way I can drive up there myself due to my back and leg problems and other health issues so it worked out best to do it this way. And I am happy as I will then get to see my four cousins, their spouses and hopefully all their children too along with another cousin at the funeral and be able to pay my last respect to a wonderful lady I was truly blessed to have had for an Aunt, mentor and above all, such a great, great friend for so many years!

On Saturday, when my daughter and I went to Clearfield for groceries, we had her two little ones with us and stopped at the nursing home over there where my Dad's baby sister and her daughter are now residing. That Aunt is 89 years old; her daughter, age 49, is severely mentally and physically challenged, and they were removed from the family homestead on August 31st and placed in this nursing home. That was a move that my aunt is still very upset about - and trust me, I do understand her point of view there as it took away her last shred of independence and was very painful for her. However, it was a move that was long, long overdue as those two should not have been alone in that house as long as they had been. And, knowing they are in the nursing home now, gives me - and another cousin who lives nearby a lot of peace of mind now knowing they are safe and being cared for!

We saw my cousin Mike and his wife as we were going into the home and spoke to them for a while before going in to see our aunt. That cousin has power of attorney for our aunt and I am really glad it is him, not me, who has to make all these hard decisions for her! I may not always agree with some of his methods in how this was all handled but I definitely agree that he has made the best move possible to assure they are being cared for properly and are in the place best for both of them! Although he and I had some words between us about 2 1/2 months ago pertaining to our aunt - actually HE had words for me which really hurt and I was somewhat afraid of seeing him again for fear of another confrontation with him so when he and his wife were both very friendly to Mandy and me and with the little ones too, it did make for an easier transition then and hopefully, we will revert back to some normalcy in our lives now.

I'm trying to get myself geared up and my system braced for the trip this Thursday to Pittsburgh, the "house cleaning" I will have to give my system that day in preparation for a colonoscopy to be done at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital on Friday and other tests plus a consultation then in the afternoon there with the surgeon handling me now. Hopefully, he will then give me a fairly reasonable timeline in which to prepare myself for upcoming abdominal surgery - the third in three years now - and maybe this one will leave me better able to deal with issues in my intestines! Pray it all works that way!

So, with a busy week now ahead, I need to get cracking, get back to work on my local township/village research, finish up a baby blanket I've been crocheting for the past 5 months or so and keep my mind focused in a good frame of thought!

Just need to keep telling myself - like the little red choo-choo train from the children's books you know - "I think I can, I think I can!"