Still Plugging Away!

Last week was much calmer -MUCH -than the previous week and for that, I am eternally grateful!

My older daughter was discharged from the hospital on Friday -or as she preferred to refer to the place -"The Spa" and she seems to be doing a whole lot better now. Very much like her old self, more exuberant in her actions and speech is how she seems to be to me.

I am thankful every day that she was located when she was and that treatment for her problems was available for her to take advantage of the help. I still shudder though when the thought crosses my mind that things could have been so much more different and horribly difficult for my two other children, her son and the rest of my family to endure. So much, so very much for which to give thanks!

There are three theatrical groups in the little town of Philipsburg near to where I live and all three cater to the youth in the area. One is the group that Miss Maya -my sweetheart granddaughter -belonged to for the past three years and which has helped her immeasurably with her social skills discipline. The week after the presentation of the play -Freckleface Strawberry -in which she was a part of the song and dance ensemble -all I heard here, day after day, was Maya singing this or that song from the play! It was getting to the point that I had massive earworms in my head of "I like Danny" or "Creative Minds" as she wandered around the house singing those two numbers in particular. The funny thing about this is that for one thing, she knew the lyrics and music to every single song from the play and could perform them, including dialogue, dance steps and dialogue here at home! And also, just from taking her to practice the last two weeks before the performance and observing her and the other kids in the cast do their numbers, Kurtis also had picked up the words and music to the play along with his sister!

Just how much like sponges these two kids are as they absorb more and more things than can really be recognized much of the time truly does amaze me!

This past Friday night I did something I rarely do! Aside from going to church services alone, I don't remember ever before attending a movie or anything, much less a play, by myself!

But that's exactly what I did Friday night! I went into Philipsburg to see one of the other theatrical youth companies do their rendition of "Hairspray." Only took me over half a century to get up the nerve to do that by myself!

When I walked into the auditorium though Friday night, I noticed a younger man standing behind a row where two women were seated and I recognized him as being my cousin's younger son. My cousin and her daughter-in-law were seated in the row in front of him so I sat down beside my cousin. She explained to me that they had seen the play the night before in the dress rehearsal but wanted to be there Friday night because the theatrical company was doing a slide show in memory of her husband who had passed away suddenly two weeks earlier. He was a very strong supporter of the theatrical companies -all three of them -and being a very talented craftsman, he built many of the props needed for plays presented over the past several years. He was loved and very respected by the young people as well as those in charge of directing these productions too. A grandfather (and also a great-grandfather) himself, the whole company of these productions all referred to him as "Pappy Jack" as he pretty much adopted them all as part of his family.

I watched the slide show with my cousin and it was a beautiful presentation that gave honor and showed the love of the kids and staff as well as even the local community through this event. Made me very proud to have been able to claim him as my cousin through marriage for the past 57 years it would have been in September since he and my cousin married.

Saturday, my older daughter and her fiance were over near here and stopped by for a very welcome visit. We talked, laughed, discussed things about her brother, sister and the grandkids and I very much enjoyed seeing them then. After they left, I went out -alone again -to a big yard party at the home of some good friends who live about 3-4 miles from me. In the past, I never would have done that but I've decided since I am basically alone, why keep myself in a reclusive status when I can just as easily go and enjoy things that I always used to like to do! The neat thing about going to this particular event is that although I know the family of the couple hosting it to see most of them, I really don't know them all that well. But I met all four of their children and when their mother would give tell them my name, I could see a bit of confusion on their faces but then, their mother would tell them "This is Clayton's Mom" and you could see the expressions change into big smiles and nods to acknowledge that oh yes, they definitely knew my son! His reputation apparently proceeds me even more than I realized!

Sunday, I had planned to go to church but my body decided during the night that it wasn't going to cooperate with that game plan. I couldn't sleep -just slept in brief intervals so when I actually needed to get up and get ready to go to church, I was as tired as I'd been when I went to bed Saturday night. Plus my intestines decided to act up and my back and legs ached like toothache so I crawled back into bed and ended up sleeping -very soundly as a matter of fact then -for about 4 hours! When I got up later, the legs and back were apparently fully rested as I had no problems with those aches and pains then -thankfully!

And that brings me now to today and the start of a new week. I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow when Mandy will be coming up and bringing Maya and Kurtis with her so they can then spend the next 10 days here with me. This way, they can now go to Vacation Bible School at our church -something they had been looking forward to doing since the end of the school term back in May and now, here it is August is upon us already! When they return to their new home in Middletown on August 10th then, who knows when I'll be able to see my two little sweethearts again.

I've been doing fairly well for the most part since they left here. Still very quiet in a house that was not accustomed to that much solitude for the past 10 years now but I've been busy -between trying to clean up all the dog and cat fur/hair that is deposited on a regular basis by Sam and Pearl (the dog and indoor cat), who by all rights and my estimation should each have become totally bald by now! Cooking isn't something high on my priority list now though as fixing a cooked meal just for me does not appeal to me at all. Too much work to do that daily! (And I find it to be more than a bit on the boring side too!) I'm trying to keep up with the lawn work -mowing the grass here usually after 7 p.m. at night when the sun isn't quite as wicked and there is a bit of a breeze now and again too that helps in that chore. Surprisingly enough though cutting the grass with the lawnmower is very exerting work it hasn't bothered my leg and back joints! Go figure that one out, huh?

And I'm trying to slowly build myself a decent customer following as I returned to being a sales rep for good old Avon Products now. A good way to force myself to go out and be at least semi-social, ya know!

And finally, I'm digging into the many craft projects -embroidery is it right now -that I have on hand here to stitch up! I finished one placemat of a set yesterday and just have the 2nd placemat and two napkins to do to complete that project. Where it will go after it's finished is anyone's guess right now as it might become a Christmas gift or maybe a donation item at our annual Fall Bazaar at church or if someone sees it and really likes it -maybe sold then. Just haven't got around to deciding what I'l do with the stuff I plan to be working on over the coming months.

And finally, I learned from my recent visit to the oncologist and from results of the CT scan I had to have done for that check-up that the scan revealed I have two spots on my back -around the Adrenal glands so now, I am scheduled to have a PET scan on August 20th. Apparently there is some concern that there may be a malignancy lurking there. I am trying my best to NOT worry about the outcome of the PET scan mainly because there is nothing I can do to change it if the cancer is there other than follow what recommendations the oncologist may end up giving me when all the results are in.

I've been down this path twice before and came through the other side okay and I'll face this in the same manner as before -with positivity and faith no matter the outcome.

It can always be worse, ya know and I prefer not to think about that aspect.

Peace!