Monday, August 26, 2019

Welcome to the Carb Kingdom

I decided I'd do a breakfast Playdate Sunday now and again. This Sunday past I made Overnight Creme Brûlée French Toast, Sausage Gravy and biscuits, and hashbrowns.  Then Jordan showed up with his wares- potato bread and a beautiful sourdough loaf. Next Rae came in with garlic knots, oh my.

                             



If that weren't bad, um or good, enough, I had too much french bread from the toast and  finally, some fun stuff from the garden, so I whipped up some garlic butter, buttered the bread up, cut it in cubes and toasted it in the cast iron skillet. Then I stirred up a favorite summer salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, oil and vinegar and a chiffonade of basil, that is stirred up and spooned over those warm, toasty, garlic bits. It just doesn't get any better.
Ahem, I better fix steamed squash next week.

Take a peek at what came out of the garden this week.

Do you know these?  Snake beans.


Spikey Indian cucumbers that look like a ton of vines and no produce. You have to hunt them.


I would love to take you for a stroll in my garden, just so you could see these on the vine.  In the bowl, they're  cute cherry tomatoes, but on the vine they are iridescent marbles that just draw your eye and make you smile.
 And my most favorite tomato. They are simply perfect!

Handy Man and I both left work for his appointment with the cardiologist today. 
He had to go in way earlier than usual. There is a new policy where he works that allows you to go in early or stay late to do your eight hours when you have an appointment.  Wow, genius.  
So, I get up, let the dog out, who is used to having his hour on the couch with Handy Man.  Every time I shift, which with this hip is often, he bolts off the couch like someone shot him.  Handy man isn't wiggly like me.  I tell him he's fine, and pat the couch and he gets back up beside me. Rinse, wash, repeat.  Only when he shoots off the couch, he gives me a disgusted look and goes and gets back in his kennel. Sorry pooch, Dad will be back in the morning. 
When we were both off work, I always aimed to have Handy Man at the doc at least a half hour early, as I discovered that they seemed to take him when he came, regardless of the appointment time.  I had a window to be out of the classroom and I was worried this would be the day the doc would run late.  I know he does caths at the hospital before appointments.  Well, someone beat us there and he was late, so I was feeling anxious.  He looked at the echo and said he had talked with several cardiologists and pronounced the results between good and very good. Next was taking his pulse and said, "Phenomenal pulse."  Last was a listen to his heart, "Sounds perfect," followed by, "Almost magical." It reminded of the leper who was healed in the Bible.  The disciples did not have money for the begging leper, but offered what they had, "In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk."  In Children's Church we sang those scriptures with the chorus being, "He went walking and leaping and praising God."  I was just about to do the same.  
But the doc kept going, about the cardiologists and the echo cardiogram.
About all the damaged places caused from what he referred to as the massive heart attack Handy Man never knew he had, the damage still there,  and it was very sobering.  It didn't change the good news, but what a very close call.
The doc also talked me through pulling off one medicine after another.  Handy Man  and I were both happy to hear that.  I'm glad we can start this process while he is in cardiac rehab were he is carefully monitored. 
We had a funny moment when the doc accidentally brought in the EKG results from that first patient that beat us to the appointment.  He said, "Just talk to the pacer people about his pace."  Handy Man and I looked at each other curiously. I'm like, is that what he calls the rehab nurses?  He saw our faces and said, "The pacemaker people."  I said, "He doesn't have a pacemaker."  He apologized profusely and found Handy Man's result and laughed and said, "Yeah his beat is off by one 2000th, not a problem." "He doesn't need a pacer."
I asked about work and light duty and he said at his age, lifting over 50 pounds should be over regardless of his heart, but otherwise, he could do his job.  Handy Man was glad to hear that.  I guess the boss wasn't and said he was on light duty till the inventory was done. Pooh! 
So, a sleep study, and see the heart doc in three months.
Handy Man is thrilled to be free. It will be a very long time, I am seeing, before I can turn this watchful eye off.  
So friends, this could be the last news you have of Handy Man's miracle heart for sometime.  
God Bless everyone of you who've kept us in your heart, mind and prayers.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Celebrate, Celebrate, Dance to the Music

The music we're dancing and celebrating is the Handy Man's healthy heartbeat.
As I expected, they would not divulge any information during the echocardiogram. I thought we'd have to wait until the follow-up on Monday, and we would have except Angel Cakes gave me a call today when it came across her mail.  When he went into surgery his ejection fraction was 14, which is somewhere around really bad.  It is now 40, no leaking valves and his  pulmonary hypertension is in the average range.  Where he is currently working he gets no cell service.  I was about to have a cat waiting to announce it to the world, but no way would I tell until he knew.  I loved hearing his laugh when I told him.  So I took him out to celebrate this evening.
That ejection fraction isn't quite normal, but it is enough to not require anymore mechanical parts, so we are thrilled and grateful for this miracle.
It is very humbling, because you know not everyone gets the chance we got and we didn't deserve it more than someone else in a health crisis.
Thank you Lord.
Thank you for every gift and card and call and prayer shown through what really was the valley of the shadow of death.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Dog Days of August

My goodness, it has been so dry and hot.
My little second graders are getting a workout in our little school garden.  So far, we've managed to keep most of it alive.
A friend from school recently lost her Daddy.  I know that struggle to return to the classroom when your broken heart is somewhere else.  As I watered one night last week, I was spraying and sniping in the little garden bed I made with my Mama in mind.  I was so surprised to see the rose bush blooming. Earlier in the summer that bush was fairly decimated by bugs and a fungus.  I decided I'd make a little bouquet from the biggest bloom (which wasn't really very big) for my friend who loves a wild bouquet as much as I do.  As I clipped and pondered, the song came to me and I begin to sing and weep, feeling very near my Mom in that little spot.

Consider the lillies, they don't toil nor spin, yet there is no King with more splendor than them,
Consider the sparrows, they don't reap or sow, but their heavenly Father is watching them grow.
We have a heavenly Father above, with arms full of mercy and a heart full of love,
He really cares when your head is bowed low, Consider the lillies and then you will know.

Oh my, life.

I sort of despaired of ever getting any flowers from my garden, but slowly I am able now to share some with others, which always delights me.









So, our Blue Eyed Boy turned nine and wanted to fish, so Pap took him to his brother's lake. He caught a lot of fish and really enjoyed himself.



 He ordered hot ham and cheese sandwiches and gummies for lunch. Done and done!

I took this Sunday off from preparing dinner as it was my school's big church picnic.  
I hadn't been very available to Noella between Handy Man's medical crisis and my inflamed sciatica. 
This week our little man turned three, so I picked them up and we went to church and then the picnic.
He's gotten so much more verbal.



 If you look close you will see we are enjoying a chicken dinner.  Except Mr. Smiley who felt the need to have dessert first.  I get that, yes I do.

 Then it was off to play in the duck pond and other fun activities.


So, this week is the test that will tell us what Handy Man's heart repair accomplished.  
He continues to do more bit by bit.
Another card came from a sweet friend this week.  I've so appreciated the way we've been loved through this very rough bump in the road. 






Sunday, August 11, 2019

One Down

Handy Man and I both made it to the weekend and was glad to see it come. Handy Man commented that Saturday sure shrunk from the past weeks of Saturdays.
He's glad he was able to go back to work, but due to the need to be on light duty, it isn't the most exciting work he's ever done-inventory.
Here at home, as we prepared for Playdate this afternoon, it seemed so very normal. No, he still can't, or shouldn't be moving around huge things, and needs breaks still for some things, but it is mostly back to him being my right hand. I sure missed that and sure appreciate having it back. Thank you Lord!
We headed up to school first thing in the lovely cool morning yesterday to plant some discarded plants someone donated to our little school garden.  I mentioned that a place in Borden was clearancing their mulch, fifty cents a bag, but I didn't really know where it was or if it would be a big crowded mess.  Handy Man said to give it a go, so off we went. It was actually just past the hour of the sale, but the guy waved us in and we bought a truck load. It was the kind that is over five dollars a bag, so it felt like a steal.  We brought some home and took the rest to school.
My little second graders and I made it to the creek, but we didn't get to gardening. They will be busy spreading mulch on our little garden, which with the edition of the nine plants, isn't so little anymore. That will be their service project to the school this year.
I really enjoy their wide eyed wonder. At this point, they aren't sure if they have a teacher or a magician.  I love that.
Back to the afternoon.  I've taught so many people how to make this bread that I make all the time (I've used about 35 pounds of bread flour this summer), but it seems I'm still the only one who makes it with regularity, until my nephew Jordan.   I didn't know if I had all the bread I needed today, so be brought some to share.

The creek beckons.  




 So many of my wee folk have long since out grown the old dolphin swing, but  it is still quite fun to swing your dolly.


I enjoy these days with family and friends.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Still Going

Handy Man managed work well, but following up work with rehab was fairly wearing, but he did it.
My room is about as ready as it is going to be.  I probably won't be in any better shape than he will be after my first day tomorrow.
This is ever a very melancholy time for me. I so love Playdates and the garden that the transition in the heat of summer to the classroom is always a bit challenging.
I find after school starts that Sundays are hardest, so I decided to change fall Playdates to Sunday for those who could come.  This past Sunday our pastors and our interns from church joined us.  We were having a big time when folks started trickling out.  I realized I hadn't taken a picture. Ack!
I grabbed the camera and caught a few before the last of the bunch left.
We had close to 30.

I am so my mother's child. Give me someone to feed and song to join and I am golden.

Lands, I've become quite a crier this summer. Lots of loss, almost loss, gratefulness.  I have always been a family person, but it seems now more than ever.

These pictures just make me boo hoo.  I just love my sweet girls sitting around picking and singing, just for the joy of it.

And this. Oh my. I had begun to doubt I would ever see Pete smile again.  He just seemed to have a lighter step and bigger smile than I had seen in so very long.  Thank you Lord!


And these two, well they are just cute.


The whole lot of them are cute.


I hear a little rumble of thunder. Please bring some rain.  I love my little gardens, but I am weary of watering.  Guess I better just be glad I have something to water with huh?

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Strange and Fasinating Place

One of the places it dawned on me that we had never been was where they constructed an Ark.  I can't really tell you why.  Somehow I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I'm notorious for not liking conflict, and seems a lot of conflict surrounded the building of it, and I wasn't sure how Biblically it was aligned.  I asked Handy Man if he'd like to see it and he said that he had wanted to. So with our last Visa gift card, we headed east.
I don't really know exactly what I was expecting.  I guess just to pull up in front of something that resembled an Ark, go in, walk about, go home.  Well, not exactly. I knew when I saw the parking lot that this was a lot bigger deal than I had understood.  You walk a ways to buy tickets, another way to wait for a bus, a wiggly way on said bus to a visitor's center and then another walk to the Ark.  It was just so big. I had not planned on that.
It was very impressive to me. If you read the signs, they make it very clear that much of the inside is pure artistic license, though effort was made to base the expression on whatever records there  are of the time and the area. The idea of how they enclosed the animals and fed them and removed waste was intriguing.  A lot of reading. I'm not sure it would be great fun for littles unless you took lots of breaks.  They have a little zoo and a playground, beautiful gardens. Snacks on all three decks. A big restaurant buffet and littler food areas, so I was able to keep the man fed throughout.  I left my camera at home.
I know there are people who want a scientific explanation for everything.  I guess the Ark builders maybe meant to show it could happen and how, and they do a great job.  I don't need a scientific explanation for everything. I absolutely believe in a great source of creativity that I can only admire, but can't really understand.  I'm good with that. Some folks think that means I am stupid.  I'm okay with that too.  
For instance,  one Handy Man who's heart was so bad, so very bad, nearly beyond life in medical respects, who was blessed with a gifted surgeon, who cut away 210 cc's of his heart, and then sewed it up and hoped for the best, but absolutely did not know if it would work and even if the heart worked, would the rest of him survive the damage.  And a cardiologist who never expected him to wake up quickly knowing everyone with no neurological damage and admitted he had no idea what would happen next.    One Handy Man, who after eight weeks, will return to work on Monday.  Yes, he will.  I'm sorry, there isn't enough science out there to explain how a heart can be dramatically reduced and relearn its way.  All the feels people, all the tears too.  Praise God!

Just four months ago, the rug was abruptly jerked out from under us.  Handy Man went from being very independent,  and hard working, to not being able to work and having to rely on me for transportation and other things.  It was a strange dynamic for sure.  We didn't really know if that would ever change.  Now it seems strange that on Monday we'll go our separate ways, our old known ways, but in other ways, forever changed.  Yes, it will be strange.

Moving along, after our Ark Encounter, I gave away a ton of books from our reading being revamped at school.  

While Rae and a friend where perusing the goods, Giddy-Up wanted me to come look at a locust coming out of its shell.  I realized it was probably time, so I turned the camera over to him.  Bean and Bugg have long been using my camera and Giddy-Up was old enough.  He started out a bit unsure, and there were some blurry pictures, but soon he figured it out and he was off.  It was fun to see what he captured.









Friday I returned to work.
Today we went to see three of ours in their drama camp performance. They did a great job.  I was especially surprised to see Buttercup do a solo. So brave and beautiful.


We again were blessed with a pile of delicious tomatoes from Uncle Joe and just finished chopping when Drummer Boy came to mow.  I knew Handy Man had been itching to get in the seat of this Big Dog.  Drummer Boy was very amused at watching him figuring out this new to him piece of machinery.   Very entertaining.