The Law and Me?

It's been awhile and we have been busy!  Mostly staying inside out of the heat - playing cards, watching TV, reading, napping, going to the occasional doctor visit and just last week having friends in from Minnesota.  That was lots of fun as they are now our official neighbors having bought the mobile unit right across the street.  We are looking forward to having them back in the neighborhood.  They were our neighbors in the trailer park when Dean had his stroke and helped me so much during those very stressful days. 

During these days Dean and I have had lots of time to watch the news and observe many people on the roads in our local travels and have come to the conclusion that even though there are countless laws on the books. they do not apply to anyone - especially those we live close to, drive on the road next to or happen to meet anywhere on the street!  Street signs are posted to be ignored.  Driving manuals are printed to make a great fire starter (and in Arizona we aren't allowed to start those fires except in very controlled areas so mostly those books just gather dust).  Barricades in our park to prevent us from driving down certain streets due to new asphalt being applied are simply there for "some" residents to move at their convenience - never mind the fact that their tire tracks are leaving gouges in the fresh asphalt and then that particular street will need to be redone.  

And my personal favorite, stopping in the doorway of a store to put away a pair of glasses or find a shopping list while people behind  them are left in the heat unable to get around them. Because of our implanted devices, Dean and I are not to stop just inside stores with the anti-theft devices as they are fairly high-powered magnetic devices.  I understand the general public isn't aware that we have to keep moving to avoid an issue but - really - is it necessary to do all that purse searching or pocket digging right in the doorway?!  Move inside where it's cool and make us all a little happier!  And for some of us, a bit safer!  Sometimes it's common sense and sometimes it's just plain common courtesy.

While we've been watching TV and the days have quickly passed, football season has started and we are both happy campers!  The Dallas Cowboys flag is once again in place and it will soon have company with the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks - we are a diverse neighborhood!  Dean's Hawkeyes and my Michigan Wolverines both won their first games of the season.  During greeting time at church Sunday one of the ladies quietly slipped up behind me and said "We won yesterday."  We both bleed blue!  Dean has plenty of Iowa fans in church - she and I part of the few for the Blue and Maize!

We are still in monsoon season until the end of the month so we anticipate a few more thunderstorms before then.  We can certainly use the rain.  We pray for those that are recovering in Texas and those in the path of the storms down south.  May God protect them as He has watched over us in our corner of the world.  

 

   

Before & After

Give Dean a few days, some tools, a basic plan and tada - I have a new kitchen!  Actually it took a bit more than a few days and there is one more step to do before we can say that everything is completely complete but for now it's a done deal as far as we're concerned - especially since we've both had some surgical procedures and a trip back to Iowa in the mix!

Here is the original room when we bought the house:

Now after we moved in: 

The top oven didn't work and one of the burners 

on the stovetop was a little iffy sometimes

 

I know how to clutter up a counter! 

I used the dishwasher about 1 to 2 times a week and it was pretty wasteful 

on water and electricity in my book.

I wanted a "real" stove and a bit more counter space which meant I would lose the cupboards above and below the wall oven.  The only thing to do was to remove the dishwasher - OK by me - not so much with Dean - he thought his dishwashing helper status was over when we moved in! 

To accommodate a regular sized stove he had to move a wall a few inches:

We had great help from a friend who does this kind of work all the time back home in Minnesota.  His only requirement?  I stay out of the way!!  I could work with that but I did forget a couple of times since I needed to get food and water!

Cupboards were repainted, white board was put as the surround for the stove (easy to keep clean) and tile was picked out to put up later on the walls.  We delayed taking out the dishwasher until absolutely necessary!  

In place of the stovetop I got a wonderful new area to use for hot dishes and more counter space: 

This authentic Mexican tile actually matches the paint!

Here we are - all done - no more dishwasher and lots more cupboard space!

 

 I can still manage to find enough stuff to put on the counters!

Our little freezer is the latest addition and really fits in the 

space nicely.  The picture above I did as a project in high school

for my mother as a Christmas present.  My father made the frame.

It's OLD!

We have only to put up a wallpaper border now to cover the original and we'll be done.  Dean wanted a bit of a rest before he tackled that project.  We have all the supplies, we're just waiting for the inspiration!  In the meantime, he installed a new stool in our bathroom today - just for something to do to keep him busy (and to keep our water bill down!)

In the meantime, we've had monsoon rains, high humidity, hot temperatures, trips to the doctor for check-ups and just plain down days to relax.  But then that's the way things are here.  He also did another project for me but that's for another day!  Have a great day in your part of the world - it's been a great day here in the valley!

Shh - He's Sleeping!

It's been a long few days since Dean's latest procedure and he's finally getting some much needed rest!  As I mentioned in my last post in mid-June we had to return home in order to stay close to the doctor's office because of the clinical study that Dean is participating in that was going to involve the implantation of another device to help his heart and stabilize his blood pressure.  It finally happened this past Saturday after 2 delays - the waiting was as bad as the procedure I think.  

Due to the amount of people involved in the surgery - surgeons, nurses, clinical study representatives and our doctor's personal representative for the study - and the other normal people in any operating room it was plenty crowded - 15 in all!  It took about 3 hours instead of the 90 minutes they were allotting but that was because Dean was the very first person in the Phoenix area to have this done so procedures were slow and meticulous.  He spent all afternoon in recovery as his oxygen level kept fluctuating so they tweaked his pacemaker up a notch and we finally got home about 6pm - almost 11 hours after we arrived at the surgical center.  His neck, on the right side is bandaged and he has a bandage on the right side parallel to his pacemaker on the left.  Turning his head to the right is very restricted and laying on that side is forbidden at this point - thus the sleeping problem.  Last night was a real bear and his blood pressure sky rocketed so off to the doctor's office we went this morning.  

They tweaked the pacemaker again and we're watching the BP for any drastic changes upward.  We'll return to the office tomorrow for a bandage change and for the doctor to take a look at the incision sight.  We've never been a part of a clinical study -all this is new to us and to the rep at the office - we are all learning things together!  The paperwork on her end has been endless!  I am so thankful he has finally fallen asleep.  A nap will make many things right and aid in the healing process. 

In the process of waiting for Saturday to arrive, I received a call from the doctor's office (Dean's cardiologist is also mine!) stating I needed to come in on Monday (yesterday) because the device I had implanted in April had triggered the monitor sending a message to their office.  Gotta love this modern technology!  We went in, I had my device checked and spoke with the doctor only to discover I have AFib - that's been the underlying problem with the episodes I've been having.  So they put me on some medication for the next month and we'll see how I feel when I go back in mid-August.  Funny thing though, it's the same medicine Dean is taking only a much higher dose!  We are a pair!  So - at this point we've made the trip twice and will make a third trip to the same doctor tomorrow!  They've decided we're only there to see the movie playing on the TV in the waiting room!

That's our latest health bulletin.  I hope it hasn't been a boring one.  According to one of my friends out here, it's always an interesting new chapter when we get together!  Oh - and it rained last night - yippee!  The monsoon season has officially begun.  Unfortunately we did have some damage here in the park that will take some time to clear up.  That's always the downside of this time of the year.  But hearing the rain on the roof last night was certainly a welcome sound.  

Here's hoping that it's a wonderful day in your corner of the world.  It's quiet, peaceful and we're beginning to heal here in ours.  God Bless!  

It's a Holiday!

It's Flag Day, just in case you forgot to double check the calendar but unfortunately for our nation (except in Pennsylvania where it's a state holiday) the date is not a popularly recognized holiday.  Even though the Continental Congress passed the First Flag Act on June 14, 1777 with the adoption of the American flag and it's 13 stripes alternating red and white and 13 white stars on a field of blue, the day itself was never declared a national holiday.  President Wilson in 1916 issued a proclamation later signed by President Truman in 1949 that officially made the day actual legislation - it never made the leap as an official national holiday.  It seems there are many ways to look at one of our nation's most historic symbols and if asked of a dozen people, there will be a dozen different answers.  We had an opportunity this past fall to travel across our great country - 2000+ miles to Michigan and back and were able to see, as is always the case, many cities, small towns, rural areas and people.  I made the following observation that seems relevant to today - Flag Day.

"I try to stay off a soap box especially in these days of volatile rhetoric that seems to do little but incite anger and negativity. But while traveling through Colorado recently on a cool and crisp autumn morning at sunrise, my husband and I drove by a large ranch. Every so often was a flagpole with an American flag displayed gently blowing in the early morning breeze. What caught my eye was not the number of flags – there were well over two dozen – but the deplorable condition of them. Every one was tattered, torn, some barely recognizable as the Stars and Stripes and in every case, not one was lit in respect during the nighttime hours. With so much attention these days on everyone’s right to do as they please concerning the flag, I thought I might as well add my voice to the fray.

The idea of flags or banners representing countries or peoples is an age-old one. It was a unifying means of propelling a people forward. During America’s Civil War the flag bearer was an honored position. He was often at the front of his regiment hoisting the regimental flag. The men used this marker not only as a way to keep themselves organized but to move forward in battle, loyal to their regiment. As long as the men could see their flag the soldiers knew the field of battle was theirs. If the flag bearer fell, it was known among the men that they were not only duty bound but also honor bound to pick up the flag and proceed forward into battle. These regimental flags were often tattered, torn, bullet riddled and many eventually displayed with honor once the war had ended. These men knew the sacrifices that made that possible.

The same holds true for the men and women who have served in the military in our time. My family has known many of those men – husband, fathers, brothers, uncles, great-grandfather, and friends. Some did not come home. For each of them we fly our flag everyday, lighted each night, standing when the National Anthem is played with our hands over our hearts. It is not a matter of “have to.” It is a matter of “want to.” We want to be the next standard bearer in our family taking up the flag for the ones who have fallen before us. It is a matter of responsibility, pride, honor, duty and family. Without those things our family and our nation is simply nothing more than a piece of tattered and torn material blowing gently in the early morning breeze of a Colorado sunrise."

Happy Flag Day!  It's a great day in our corner of the world - long may this banner wave.

 

Home Again!

After 3 short weeks and over 3,600+ miles we are back in Arizona after a visit with family and friends in Iowa.  We saw a granddaughter graduate from high school, caught up with our son and his family, our youngest daughter and her family, both of Dean's brothers, his mother and many friends from our two Iowa pastorates.  We stayed with dear friends who are really more like family - so much so that I think our DNA must match in some wonky ways as we have shared some of the stories of our lives!  We are forever grateful for the Boyer's B & B - where we fix our own breakfast and make our own bed!  Because that's what family does!

The weather was typical for an Iowa spring - cool and wet!  We were thankful we had jeans and long sleeves with us for our trip to NE Iowa and the graduation ceremony as the high temp that weekend was a balmy, rainy 46!!  I got cold on the trip as we crossed into Kansas and didn't get warm until I got back out of the car in our driveway to unload our stuff!  Of course now that we have vacated the state, it's warm back there - in the 90s and sunny!  But then, it's warm and sunny here as well - close to 102 for a high today and up to 107 on Sunday.  We will probably make good use of the exercise room from now on to take our daily walks - no more of our walking the perimeter of the park for awhile!  Call us pansies or whatever else you care to - I don't relish the idea of having the EMTs stop by because one of us has gone down due to dehydration at 8:30 in the morning!

Other than rain on both the drive out and back and cool weather there, we had a great time catching up with everyone.  Our trip had to be cut short as we had been waiting to get a phone call from Dean's cardiologist concerning an upcoming surgical procedure.  He has been selected to participate in a clinical study for an FDA device for heart patients such as himself who have a limited heart function.  He had to undergo several pre-testings to be approved as well as fall under certain other criteria.  It is a device that will be implanted (much like his pacemaker/defibrillator) under the skin on the right side with a lead attached to the carotid artery.  It's rather technical but in the end the main function is to strengthen the heart muscle as it is in a weakened condition.  We returned early in order to be available for any other testing that needed to be done prior to the surgery, such as blood work, more paperwork, etc!  It looks like the tentative date for surgery is Saturday, June 17 so we would covet your prayers for us on that date.

As we were finishing up the last leg of our journey, we were about an hour from home (having filled up with fuel for the last time) and really on familiar ground by this time.  We rounded a curve on the road in the last large town before we would hit the last stretch of road home and in front of us was a silver car with a personalized license plate I recognized!  It was our friends from our park coming home from a day trip just up the road from where we picked them up!  What a small world!  After being gone 3 weeks and traveling over 3,000 miles we pull in behind a car that we know!  I texted Sue but folks, here's a serious reminder - never text and drive and never text without your glasses on!  Both will get you into trouble!  I was the passenger and I couldn't find my specs.  What started out as a simple "Look behind your car" came out something about a "cat"!  So for the next 10 minutes Dean and I were honking, waving and making fools of ourselves along the road while I kept trying to re-text spelling corrections to get Sue's attention!!  FINALLY, I got through to her we were behind their "car" and she rolled down her window and waved!  They met us at our place as we pulled into the driveway, all of us laughing as we got out of our "cars"!!  

One of these days I'll have to get a set of those eyeglass holders that go around my neck so I can keep track of my specs and avoid the texting disaster we went through!  But then this isn't the first time Sue and I have shared a goofy text or two and I did have my glasses on that time!  But that's a story for another time.  I'm just glad to be back in Arizona - maybe my corner of the world is a little warm but it's where I call home.      

   

   

Looking Back

Angela didn't realize what she created when she gave her father and I some books a few years back that she wanted us to fill out.  You know the kind that are memories of our childhood and what things were like when we were growing up, how we met, our early lives and then when she was a little girl, etc.  Well, we each have one of those and I also got one to fill out that is strictly about her to be given to her children.  Needless to say, I have been doing quite a bit of reminiscing and going through old pictures as they want proof of our younger years.  Don't you all wish you could see some of that??!!  Sorry, but there are just some things that MUST stay within the family!

And here we are all a bit younger!

Dean, myself, daughters Jacki Lee and Angela on the far right

With Sweet T and Cam

But, that has had me thinking about all the wonderful, crazy, happy, sad and memory-making things we as families do through the years.  If you have large or small families, extended ones or rather small ones like ours, they are each unique and yet they all carry much of the same qualities.  We all laugh and cry at many of the same things, bleed when we fall down as children, love to be comforted when the going gets tough, can't wait to see the home place in our rear view mirror as teenagers and yet can't believe the changes when we see it again in the windshield as adults.  Our siblings make us crazy when we are young and hold us up as we age.  If we are fortunate enough to have had grandparents nurture us at anytime during our lives, we look back on those times with fondness and ofttimes try to replicate some of those memories with our children and grandchildren, if only by repeating the stories from our youth.  

These books for Angela have made us travel back in time to a much simpler era when it wasn't unusual to get a fifty cent allowance for doing real chores like mowing the yard, keeping a bedroom clean, doing the dishes, taking out the garbage, cleaning up after a pet or maybe keeping an eye on a younger sibling - all for that reward of two shiny quarters at the end of the week.  Times have certainly changed! 

It has been a scramble to get everything together along with all the other things going on here at home - planning our trip back to Iowa, doctor appointments, closing up the house, etc.  But I have realized one thing in all this thinking back - these kinds of memories are not to be rushed - they are to be savored - taken out one by one, turned over and examined closely, almost under a microscope.  They are precious memories and certainly as they are shared with these special people in our lives they are to be given the utmost of care for they will be passed on now for the next generations to be cared for in a new and special way, for each time our story is told and retold, those memories will linger just a bit longer.  

I hope you enjoy your own story in your corner of the world today.  It's been a good day for stories here.      

Location, Location

We have quite a few unique birds here in the valley and I for one know very little about them.  I have a few friends that are quite knowledgeable about birds and their desert habitats but I just like to listen to their songs.  We have one particular bird that has always been close to us wherever we are in Arizona and that is the mourning dove.

Illustration (c) David Allen Sibley

Some people think they are kind of a nuisance and a bit noisy since they, like most of the birds start their "music" at sunrise!  They like to nest in a tree or a shrub, maybe on a ledge and usually with twigs that the male brings the female.  (There's something really right about that plan!!)  We saw all this up close and personal one day this week right out our kitchen window while we were eating breakfast.

The female was sitting on the top of Dean's 4 x 8 trailer that folds in half and he has stored on the patio.  The little woman was sitting so pretty and quiet, like she owned that section of the trailer and once in awhile she would turn, look toward the window like she wanted to see inside and then out over the patio like she was looking the place over.  I guess she really was because soon her mate would show up, bringing her twigs.  Dean could see better than I and he saw him try to drop them in a certain place only to have her move them around to her liking!  He laughed and started mimicking the male, "Look at this pretty twig I brought you and you don't like it."  Then in a high squeaky voice she replies, "I like it, you just didn't put it in the right place!"  

Pretty soon we realized just how much progress they were making on this little "love nest" of theirs and Dean went out to shoo them away.  The female sat for quite a long time while he approached and he almost touched her before she finally moved!  He removed a handful of twigs from the top of the trailer as well as the small well that was formed where the two halves settled together.  She'd flown off and settled just off the patio and was squawking at him the whole time!  We don't know where they relocated but I heard the "coo-ah, coo, coo, coo" this morning so I know they and their friends haven't gone too far! 

I'm sure the robins are back in Iowa and there will be many more new hatchlings soon.  It's that time of the year.  Here we see cardinals, wrens, woodpeckers, hummingbirds and other cacti feeders all winter long and feel really blessed to witness the many wonders of God's creation.  It is truly a wonderful place in our corner of the world.  I hope it is in yours as well.