The View from Sherwood

Nuts anyone?

2009-10-11T17:26:00.003-05:00

Wow, our pecan trees are really full of nuts. I can't believe it! They only give every other year and this is their year to give. All 4 trees are full. I spent Saturday morning with John & Jacque and Belinda and Michael, picking pecans. Hmm, is that why my thighs are sore. Bend & Pick. Bend & Pick. Bend & Pick. OMG, talk about a workout. We only picked from one tree because the other trees have not opened their shells yet. But they are loaded and waiting for a really good hit of sunshine.

Today I'm spending the day kind of alone because mom went to bed after breakfast and has really been sleeping. I did the dishes, vacuumed, and am now in the process of washing, drying and folding clothes. Oh yea, I also baked a cake for Michael because he not only helped us pick pecans, he was our tree climber and also got on top of the house and not only shook the branches but also swept my roof. Now I just need to sweep my driveway.

Now I just need to get stuff ready to begin the day tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great weekend, too.

WooHoo!!!

2009-07-29T21:12:00.002-05:00

We are now the proud owners of a new washer & dryer. After 22 years our two have given all they had to give. It was hard to make the decision of not just getting them repaired but we did decide that it was time for a new pair. Besides after 22 years, they may not have parts for us anymore.

Our new pair arrives Thursday (tomorrow) between 4pm - 8pm. I'm so excited and I can't wait to begin washing without having to put a towel down on the floor because of a water leak or having to inspect every piece of clothin from the dryer for scorch marks.

I didn't get fancy and go for a front loader. Just stuck with the plain old top loader, white. Wow, now all I have to do tonight is clean out the utility room so they can have room to haul away the old and install the new.

Thank you to everyone!

2009-07-15T08:39:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to say THANK Y OU to all my family and friends for giving our mom such a special day. She truly loved it. We gave her a surprise birthday party and she enjoyed herself so much. Not only did she enjoy herself but so did everyone who attended. It was just he right people for just the right occasion.

Good Lord willing we'll see everyone again next year!

Wow, animals really are sensitive to people's needs.

2009-06-28T15:59:00.002-05:00

I took my mom to my brother's house on Saturday. He and his wife were throwing a graduation party for my niece Audrey. We had a really good time sharing and laughing with everyone. My sister-in-law Maria has a really nice family and she and my brother have some really nice friends, too.

One thing that stood out from the whole event was something that their American bulldog, Buster, did to my mom. Now mind you, Buster is full grown and weighs in at a good 100 lbs. Cito, my brother, and Maria had decided to put their two dogs, Raven & Buster, in their bedroom because it was just too hot to keep them outside while everyone was in the house enjoying the party. After we had all eaten and we were all just standing and sitting around talking we convinced Cito to let Raven & Buster come out and join us. Of course when they came out they were so excited to be part of the fun that they were going from person to person nudging and searching for caresses and such. When 100 lbs nudges you it more of a giant shove.

My sister Maria and I were standing in front of my mom who was sitting on the couch and all of a sudden Buster comes to see who is on the couch. What he did was so awesome I'm gonna try and describe it for you. He came over and of course nudged me and Maria and then he turned and saw mom sitting on the couch and I was waiting for him to be a little rough with her but he stopped dead in his tracks, looked at her, and then very gently walked toward her and then gently laid his head on her lap and looked up at her whild she caressed his head. He stayed there until someone called his name. He went away and then returned later and again, stopped in his tracks, as if to compose himself, and then gently wallked over to my mom and again, gently laid his head on her lap so she could caress him. This time, after a little caressing he put his two front paws on couch next to her and stoop up and put his head on her chest for her to caress him and then gave her two gentle nudges with his head. Of course then my brother Cito told him that was enough and so he got down and walked away. He came back while I was helping mom eat some cake and he just sat there patiently waiting for mom to share with him, which she did.

One more thing, by no means am I leaving out Miss Raven, but she has always been full of love and just a beautiful dog who will always be our Miss Raven.

Thank you Cito & Maria for a great time and for loving your pets because the love really does flow through and from them.

Family Night at the Gonzales Household

2009-06-21T11:38:00.002-05:00

Well, we had our first official family night at Mom's house last night. We couldn't all be there because Ramona is still recuperating from her surgery. Thanks be to God, she's coming along really good. Maria and her kids took her husband Tommy to San Antonio for Father's Day. So, it was me and my 2 brothers and my 2 sister-in-laws and Mom. We started the evening sitting around talking and sharing with each other. Then we all chipped in and ordered some pizzas. When the pizzas got here we went into the dining room and ate. After we ate we played Seinfeld Trivia. We ladies knew we were in trouble because both John and Cito are Seinfeld "fanatics". They can probably re-enact every episode, which they did each time a question was read and answered. To help lessen the handicap we ladies decided to help each other out by also playing cherades to help the other get the answer. It worked, Maria, my sister-in-law won the game. It was really fun. Mom really enjoyed seeing her two boys, John and Cito, having a good time.

After we finished the game Mom was ready to go back into the den so we all went in and Jacque, my other sister-in-law, had brought the dvd of "Madea Goes to Jail" so we made ourselves comfortable and watched it. It was really good and up to par for a Tyler Perry movie. His movies never let you down. Our cousin Belinda arrived and watched the rest of the movie with us.

I had bought some chips & dips for everyone to enjoy and of course the carb nap started wanting to kick in so I remembered that I had a bag full of chocolate candy in the refrig from our coupons. This of course brought everyone back to life.

Mom and I really enjoyed having everyone here just enjoying each other's company. Good Lord willing we'll be together again next month when we celebrate Mom's birthday.

One more thing, I noticed that Maria had her camera with her but I guess no photo opps this time around but hopefully we'll have plenty of photo opps in July.

Couponing

2009-05-24T12:08:00.002-05:00

Wow, what a trip. We started our day by helping my cousin give a coupon class to a church group so that they could go out and purchase stuff for themselves and their church at very low cost. After class we (cousin, sister-in-law, & me) went to lunch and then went to do some shopping of our own. We went to several CVS stores because they had their L'oreal makeup on clearance and with our coupons it was gonna be really, really, cheap. Boy, did we make a savings. We bought $1,500.00+ and paid $80.00. I love coupons. We also went to some Albertons's stores and stocked up on the paperplates and bowls. The plastic cups were all gone but one of the store managers told my cousin when their next truck would be in, so, we'll be back. We also had some coupons for some SunSilk shampoos and conditioners but they were all out. Oh, well.

Today is Sunday and I'm just gonn chill doing some laundry and looking into my very, very neglected bedroom. Later in the day I'll be helping my cousin separate more coupons. We got a little bit behind last week and so, we have alot to do to catch up. But boy the outcome is so much worth the effort.

It's times like these that I really miss my Dad.

2009-05-17T18:27:00.002-05:00

Dad was the person I shared my thoughts with, especially when it came to work issues. We are creating a new position at the office "Liturgical Coordinator" and the beginning pay is $40,000.00. I really need to share my thoughts on this with him. I'm considering putting my name in the hat for the position and I know that he would be proud of me for doing so, but you know, sometimes you just need to talk to someone about it. Someone to discuss the pros & cons. Someone to fill you with encouragement. I know that everyone will say, if this is something you want then go for it, but you still need someone to talk to about it.

My brothers and sisters are so busy with their families and stuff and I know that they would be supportive of whatever I choose to do but the difference with Dad is that he would give me his full attention without being distracted. I've been speaking to him all weekend long and he's answereing me. I guess I just miss the hug he would give at the end of our discussions. OMG, it must be the weather. I can't believe I'm feeling so needy. Snap out of it, Juanita!

Mother's Day weekend

2009-05-17T18:20:00.004-05:00

Wow, Mom had all five of her children with her this weekend. Sad to say Ramona & Tim couldn't join us for dinner but at least she got to spend time with mom. Saturday Maria took us to Sam Moon, we'd never been there, and what a mistake. I now know how to get there. OMG, all the purposes and accessories. We also went into this Sam Moon Home Decor store and they had some really nice stuff to decorate the house with and it wasn't expensive at all. Maria found some things to go in her kitchen and bedroom. She said she would have to go back when she had $$ to spend. Ramona said that she may have to come back up for some things. I found some stuff for mom's house, too.

I bought burgers for everyone when we got back and we all watched some TV and ate burgers. They all left (Tommy, jr and Andy were there, too) because Maria had to go buy some stuff for tomorrow. Tommy was cooking supper for his mom for Mother's Day.

Mother's Day we all got together around 3:00pm and had some KofC because Mom didn't want anyone to cook. We laughed and ate and really enjoyed each other's company. Mom really enjoyed having everyone at her house again.

I hope everyone else had a great Mother's Day, too.

Successful Yard Sale

2009-04-27T18:01:00.002-05:00

Well, I had our yard sale. It was successful and I made some extra cash even though my prices were really cheap. I was practically giving everything away. My brother and his wife had some things to sell and they did really good in their sales. So did my cousin. Now it's back to regular weekends for me and mom.

Next yard sale on May 16, 2009 at John & Jacque's.

Happy Anniversary to Maria & Tommy

2009-04-05T11:27:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a great day. We went to my sister Maria's house and celebrated her 11 year wedding anniversary to a really great guy, Tommy Chavez. As a couple they have experienced their ups and downs but at the same time, they demonstrate how a marriage can surpass and achieve anything with the help of God. And now, they are sharing what they have learned with other couples about to begin the journey of marriage. No, now don't get me wrong, they are not the perfect couple and they will be the first to admit it but, if they can help other couples in any way by sharing what they have learned in their 11 years of marriage then they are more than happy to do it.

I am very proud of my sister and brother-in-law and I pray that they have eternal love.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't beleive it!

2009-03-23T18:55:00.002-05:00

Sunday my cousin Belinda offered to go with me to return 3 of the 5 6-pks of Boost energy drink I had bought 2-weeks ago for mom. We were returning them because they had expiration dates for November & December 2008. They gave me a store gift card for $9.87. I told Belinda that with my card I could buy some new mascara ($8.49). She went over to the razor section and picked up 14 Bic Soleil razors and 14 refills (4-pks). She also bought two .99¢ eyeliner pencils. I showed her my mascara and she told me to throw it in with her purchases to cover some of the overage she was gong to have.

Long story short, the cashier rang up all her stuff and the total as $120.00, after Belinda's coupons it was $50.00, after Walgreen's coupon we paid out of pocket $1.15. My $8.49 mascara only cost me $1.15.

The man behind us in line asked Belinda if she had any coupons for his stuff (denture stuff) and Belinda said she was sorry but, no. I looked at my gift card and told him, "Here use this it will pay for it." Of course he said no, but I told him that I had gotten some store credit on some stuff I had returned. He was very appreciative and thanked me for the blessing. I thanked him and we left the store.

Back to the grindstone

2009-03-23T18:46:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm back in the office and it's like I never left (hehe). All I know is that the day sure went by fast. I was so busy before I knew it the clock showed 4:00pm. One more hour and I would be on the way home.

I got home and chatted for a bit with Mrs. Alvarez, mom's caregiver, and after she left I asked mom if she was ready for supper. She said no. So, I changed clothes, opened the windows in the den and got my laptop and decided to do some work. I never can get much done at the office, that is much computer work done, because most of the time I am either returning phone calls, placing phone calls, tending to couples who come in asking for wedding information, setting appointments for the priests and lots of other things. So, once I post this blog I will start working on our Sunday bulletin for this weekend.

Hope your day was a good one.

Vacation is over.

2009-03-22T01:52:00.002-05:00

Well, I spent Thursday morning at the dentist getting my teeth cleaned. Got home and picked up papers to renew mom's handicap placard. This time they gave me 2 so she will always carry one in her purse and I can keep one in my truck. From there I went grocery shopping. Came home and got right back on the computer to do some work.

Friday I got up and finished work. Fixed breakfast & lunch for mom and me then headed back out to the office to put together the weekend books for the priests. Got some great news from our Business Manager. She said that since I was actually working from home and did not really get to take a vacation I was not to count this week as a vacation week. We were going to count it as regular work time. Woohoo!!!

The diocese has started something new for all employees (including all church employees). Depending on your years of service you will be given a certain amount of days and it will be up to you as to how you choose to use them, vacation, sick time, personal time, etc. You will only be allowed to carry over 5 days into the next year. This will be great because I don't really use any sick time so, I will have more vacation days that I can use for mom's doctor appointments as well as my own.

Today (Saturday) was a beautiful day. I washed some towels and sheets and hung them out on the clothesline to dry. My cousin and I took my mom and my doggie Gia with us on a trip to Walgreens. I had bought some Boost drinks for mom, they were on sale, but a week after I got them home and was about to give mom one I noticed that 3 of the 5-6pks I bought expired last year in November and December 2008. So we took them back to the store and they gave me a gift card with $9.57 credit. While we were there my cousin Belinda pulled out her coupons and she went over to the women's razors and found the Bic Soleil razors and refills on clearance sale. She got 14 razors and 14 refills, took them to the counter and added in 2 eyeliner pencils. I had found my mascara and was ready to use my gift card on it to purchase it ($8.49). Belinda told me to put it in with her stuff and sit back and watch the coupons do their thing. So, the checker rang up her stuff and it added up to $120.00. Then Belinda gave her the coupons and it came down to $54.00. Then Belinda told her to ring up the Walgreens coupon on the razors and refills and her final out-of-pocket was $1.15 which we paid with my gift card. Wow!!!

As we were leaving the gentleman behind us asked how she did that and Belinda told her it was with coupons. He asked us if we had coupons for what he was purchasing (some denture stuff). We said no, but I offered to use my gift card for his purchases. He of course said, no he had the money to pay for it but I insisted and he thanked me for the blessing and wished me a very blessed day. I told him thank you and I wished him one, too. He said he hated to let this blessing go without doing something, I told him to just pay it forward and we would both be blessed again.

Hope everyone has a "Blessed" day tomorrow.

Day 3 of vacation.

2009-03-18T18:17:00.002-05:00

Well, it was another beautiful day. I got up early, made breakfast for my mom and got ready to go to the office for my Safe Environment Training and staff meeting. Got home and clipped my little dog's hair and gave her a bath. Now I'm just kicking back. Mom is asleep, Gia is asleep, Juan Diego is asleep...

Day 2 of Vacation

2009-03-17T17:29:00.004-05:00

I might as well be at work. I have had more calls from the office in these past two days than when I'm there in person. My sister said I should not answer my phone but one of the conditions of my being off for a whole week with such short notice (1 week) is that I would work from home and be available if they needed me. I guess I just didn't realize how much they need me. I'm not complaining! I know that some people would be glad to have my job or any job. I'm just saying that working from home is definitely not what it's made out to be. As soon as I start to try to do some type of housework I get a call which requires me to log on to my computer. Today I even got a call while I was on the road to do a favor for my brother. They had to wait until I got back home for me to be able to answer them. Oh well, at least it's not been boring.

Tomorrow I have to start my day early because I plan to buy groceries before I have to go to the office for Safe Environment Training (I work for a church) 10:00am - 11:30am. I'll stay at the office for the March birthday luncheon because at 2:00pm we have our staff meeting and I'm the one who keeps the minutes. At least it's usually only an hour long. My luck this one will be longer. At least I know that my cousin's daughter will be staying with my mom while I'm gone. I asked her if she would like to earn a little extra money during her Spring Break by staying with mom when I have to be away from the house for such a long time. She's also gonna be here on Thursday because I have a dental appointment in Richardson at 10:00am.

I did one good thing done. I was able to wash some towels and hang them up outside to dry. I love hanging my linens outside to dry. They feel so good when you bring them in.

Well, that's it for today. Let's see how my "plans" go for tomorrow.

Wow, I'm off next week!

2009-03-14T10:33:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's true. Next week I will be home on vacation. I'm hoping the weather forecasts stay true and give me a great week and weekend. I'm hoping to take this opportunity to clear out some stuff in the house and have a yard sale. Whatever I don't sell I intend to give to charity. My cousin Belinda said if I needed, she could come over and help me pull things out for the sale.

One of my objectives is to go through all of my dad's tools and toolboxes, and believe me he had plenty, and sort them out. Then I'd like for my brothers to come by and pick what they want so that I can sell the rest. Not all of what's left but some. I may need some tools, too. It's just a thouht because I'm not sur my brothers can come by before Saturday since they both live so far away. Oh well, if they can't make it I'll just sell a portion of the tools.

Wish me luck.

Just kicking back!

2009-02-28T19:40:00.003-06:00

Today started with me going to get my taxes filled out. Now all I have to do is mail them. Yea, I'm getting a refund. So many things I could do with it but I think I'll just put it savings until Mom & I decide what we'll do first.

Got home and helped Mom got to her bed so she could take a nap. Then I folded some clothes and took a little nap myself. Then I woke up got me and Mom a late lunch early supper. When I finished eating I swept and mopped the kitchen floors and bathroom floor. That over, I sat down with my computer and logged in to see utility bills that I need to pay. Gonna total them all up and see how much I'll have left after making the payments so that I can go buy some groceries.

All in all it's been a pretty quiet day and night. Not much else to say so, I'll say goodnight to all.

Don't you just love coupons?!!!

2009-02-22T17:35:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a morning! Belinda, Jacque & I went out last night with coupons in hand and stocked up on tuna fish, foil paper, paper towels, and soft soap. I was also able to get a new blood sugar meter for free and in my favorite color, blue. Yea!

We left at 11:30pm to start at Kroger for the paper towels and soft soap. While we were in Kroger, Belinda noticed that they were running a sale on the star-kist tuna pouches. She told us that we also had coupons for those and with our coupons we could each get 6 packets of tuna for $1. So, with the amount of coupons we had, we each got 18 packets of tuna. Then we left there and headed for Walgreens where they had the foil on sale for $.89 and we had a coupon for $1 off. Ok, here is the run down of what we got Saturday:

Foil paper (20ft) - Free
Bounty Paper Towels - .25 each
Toilet paper (4pk) - .30 each
Star-Kist Tuna - 6/$1

When we finished we got home about 3:00am. We had a fun time together and it's really fun learning how this all works. I don't think Jacque and I will be making any more midnight runs again soon, but I know that we both enjoyed ourselves with Belinda. Now I think I'm gonna take a well deserved nap.

So, when do the endophins kick in?

2009-02-20T20:45:00.002-06:00

Well, it's official. My sister and I along with our cousin have begun an exercise program. Now, before I describe our first night of exercising to you, please go to the bathroom and get the tissues ready to dry your tears from so much laughter. Ready? Here we go!

First of course we start the night by putting in a DVD of Lisa Rhinna Dancing with Stars Dancing and Exercising. She shows you dances they did on the show and you're supposed learn them while exercising at the same time. We stand in a line in front of the TV and mind we watch her go over the steps. Ok, we've got it. Then we can choose if we want to work out at a slow, medium, or fast pace. Of course we pick slow and of course we decide that this is too slow so we go with medium. And that's when it begins. Why is it that the moves we were doing looked nothing like the moves she and the other dancers were doing. I mean we were all three moving but neither one of us were moving in the same direction. Oh did I fail to mention that we were supposedly dancing the Rumba, the sexy, sultry dance. Believe me when I say that there was nothing sexy or sultry about the way we were dancing.

After deciding that this was just not the right dance for us we moved on to the Jive. Yes, you read it right, JIVE! Again we watch her go over the steps and no problem, this is just dancing, right? Wrong!! Have you ever tried jumpin' and jivin' with at least 50 -100 extra pounds on your shoulders? Then you know that there ain't no jumpin' or jivin'. So, again we decide that this one is not good either.

Then hey, we have a brainstorm!!! Why not just do the basic exercises we learned in elementary school starting with the jumping jacks. We also had the brilliant idea of not stopping between exercises. O. M. G! We ended with crunches and then with the toughest work out of all, getting up off the floor.

Once we could all breathe again we decided to do this each Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evening. Please keep us in your prayers.

Family ties.

2009-02-15T20:56:00.004-06:00

My mom laid to rest her baby sister yesterday (2/14/09). It has been an emotional week for her. The worst part of it is that she has not been able to really cry because of her illness. If she lets herself get too emotional her lungs will tighten up on her and it becomes difficult for her to breathe. She also develops a very strong tremor. That's how Parkinson's Disease reacts to emotions. So, the stress of not being able to cry has really had a tiring effect on her little body. I gave her a Tylenol last night so that she could relax and get some rest.

While we were sitting and relaxing, watching TV her other sister, my Aunt Julia, called to see how she was doing and if it would be possible for her to come by and visit with her for a short time. I noticed that there was a sadness to her voice so I said, of course. I told mom that it sounded as if Aunt Julia needed her older sister. Mom said, really!? So, sure enough when Aunt Julia arrived I hugged her and she hugged me hard then she asked where mom was and I led her to the den. She went straight to mom and hugged her really tight and they both had a very good cry in each other's arms. It was what they both really needed. The saddest moment was when mom told Aunt Julia, we're all we have. It was sad because in reality they have 2 other sisters but those 2 other sisters decided about 30 years ago that they wanted nothing to do with their family. One went as far as to say that she was not to be contacted whenever one of her siblings passed away because she did not care.

Wow, I just can't imagine not wanting the love of my family. I will be the first to admit that my brothers & sisters and I do not agree on everything and we are far from perfect but I know that I will always be able to count on them to be there for me when I need them. That is how we were raised by our parents. Dad always told us that it doesn't matter who you marry, where you go, or how much you stay away from your family, your blood will never change. You will always be part of this family and that is the one thing that nothing and no one will ever be able to change, not even you. When it seems that no one else is there, your brothers and sisters will always be there. They will be a part of you and you a part of them even after you die because you all share the same blood, mine and your mothers.

His one piece of advice he gave to us all was, don't ever stop talking to each other. That would be the one way to truly dishonor me and your mother. And if I die and see that you all are not speaking to each other, I will come down from heaven and kick some butts. Always remember that each time you begin a new day, you represent the person your mom and I created. You never want people to say, "Oh no, here he/she comes again." you want them to say, "Hey, here he/she comes." Be as proud of yourselves as I and your mom are of each and everyone of you and never, ever, stop loving each other.

Ok, now I know I'm old!

2009-01-31T12:17:00.002-06:00

First clue: My doctor had me schedule my first colonoscopy. Woohoo!! I'm scheduled for Tuesday 2/3/09 at 9:00am. Pray for me.

Second clue and most eyeopening of all: My sister and her husband borrowed my truck because they are in the process of moving into a house from their apartment. So, my sister picke me up from work. On the way home we were listening to some pretty good music and I asked her what station she was listening to. She said, "Oh no, that's Milton's (Tommy Jr.'s friend) IPOD. It was playing music like, "Hey Jude", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", etc. The reality of my age set in when she added that Milton told her that it was his "OLDIES" music. O. M. G.!!!! I am now an OLDIES of the 60's, 70's, & 80's. I couldn't believe it. My music isn't OLDIES, it's Rock & Disco. Kids, what do they know. The OLDIES are the DooWop groups etc.

Please somebody, tell me it isn't so. Has our music now become Their OLDIES!?

Ouch!!!

2009-01-22T22:00:00.003-06:00

Well, it had to happen. After 11 years of service at my job I fell. No really, I fell. Well, Ok, so I didn't really fall so much as the chair broke. We have some really flimsy chairs at work in the dining room. We were celebrating our January birthdays and a farewell to Fr. Orlando. I had already finished eating and we were all sharing stories about Fr. Orlando when all of a sudden I felt the chair begin to bend at my right hip. Before I knew it I was sinking then, plop, I was on the ground and I landed on a metal portion of the chair. Ouch!!!!!

My injury is right at the point where the cheek meets the thigh. I'm ok as along as I'm standing or lying down. It's when I sit or stand that it hurts. It's that bending motion that kills me.

All of the maintenance men were right on the spot to help me up but I was soooo embarassed that I told them I'm ok, just let me get up. Well, easier said than done because my butt began to hurt so, I had to take them up on their offers. Then our Children's Choir director who is also a marathon runner brought a ice pack (ice in a ziplock bag wrapped in a towel) and told me to sit on it to stop the bleeding on the inside from my pulled muscle. So there I am sitting on an ice pack. We all get up to leave and she tells me to take it to my office and continue to sit on it for a little while longer. Well, you guessed it. Ice melts, the bag sweats, the towel gets wet and so do my pants. Now not only does my butt hurt but I have wet pants and no dryer. Finally my pants dry and now I'm cold. Can I please just go home!!?????

I get home and when I get off the truck Ouch!!! I go to change clothes and have to sit to take off my compression hose, Ouch!!!! I have to stand up to go into the kitchen to fix supper for my mom, Ouch!!!! I fix supper and need to sit down and prop my legs up higher than my heart, Ouch!!!! I now have to get up and go to bed, Ouch!!!! I get in bed, Ouch!!!! I lie down, Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!! Goodnight!

Well, treadmill here I come!

2008-12-27T14:10:00.002-06:00

It's not a New Year's resolution, it's a prescription from one of my doctors. I have been having a constant pain on my left ankle on the inside bone. My M.D. sent me to a vascular surgeon and he did an ultrasound on my leg and said that the valves in both my legs are bad.

Bad news, there is no fix or cure for this. The blood that travels up and down my legs is not all coming back up and it is starting to gather around my shin area. Right now it is more noticeable on my left leg and barely on my right leg. If it goes untreated eventually I could develop ulcers on my leg that will begin to bleed out because the blood has no where to go.

Good news, we can keep any more blood from gathering there by:
1. Exercising
2. Losing weight
3. Burning out one of the veins in my leg ( out-patient laser surgery)

So, I have retrieved the treadmill I had given to my cousin Chonita, of course I aske if I could have it back and the reason that I needed it. My doctor has prescribed that I walk 30 minutes each day and begin a diet.

I have to admit when he first told me about my bad valves I began to cry and he asked my why I was crying and I told him about my dad having had 6 stints in his arteries because of blockage and was this happening to me. He assured me that this was in no way related to what dad had. He said this is something not even close to it. By exercising I will build up my leg muscles and the strong muscles will help pump that blood back to where it needs to go. He told me to not even think about blocked arteries. These valves are located in the lower part of my body and even though they can't go in and fix them we can help the blood flow better by taking the pressure of my legs.

I now have to wear compression hose on a daily basis to help ease the pressure from my legs and at the end of my day I have to take at least 30 minutes each day to elevate my legs higher than my heart to help the blood flow back up my leg.

Cito and I got the treadmill last night and I got on it to try it out. It still works. I need to buy some silicone spray for the ramp but it works just fine. I walked for 15 minutes this morning and plan to walk another 15 tonight. Cito recommended that I start at 15 minutes each time until Monday and then I can go 30 minutes non-stop.

My co-workers are really something else. When I told them about this they offered to walk with me during the first 30 minutes of our 1 hour lunch break. We are going to walk around the top floor of our Religious Education building for 30 minutes each day and then have our lunch the last 30 minutes. They didn't want me to walk alone and they said they needed to walk, too.

Please pray that God give me the strength to continue on this journey.

Merry Christmas To Everyone

2008-12-27T14:03:00.003-06:00

So, how did everyone spend their Christmas? We spent it at my brother Frank's home with his wife Maria and stepdaughter Audrey. It was really nice. It was my first visit to their home and it is beautiful. I fell in love with a great recliner/rocker that they have. We all met their for dinner and gift exchange. My family has always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve with dinner and gift exchange and this has really worked out well for my married brothers & sisters because their in-laws do Christmas on Christmas Day. Isnt' it neat how God fits people together.

We had a great dinner and we all received some great gifts. My sister Ramona and her family weren't with us and we were also missing my nephew Tommy, Jr. Ramona lives in Nederland, TX and her children and grandchildren live down there too, so she was with them. Tommy, Jr. was with his Mom but he'll be with us for New Year's.

My Christmas wish for everyone is that God continue to fill your families with His blessings.

December 7, 2008

2008-12-07T21:19:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been 4 years to the day that our dad passed away. I don't know if my siblings do this but I find myself, since Thanksgiving Day, reliving each of the events that took place up until dad's death. He went into the hospital on Thanksgiving Day, 2004 and never came home.

I can recall each day and how he looked. We all would visit him constantly and I remember what the doctors would tell me and how I got the call from his doctor the day he died saying dad wanted them to call mom and me and let us know that they were taking him to ICU before he would let them take him. He wanted to tell mom how much he loved her. He told her 3 times before he hung up. I remember the look on the doctor's face when he told me that he wasn't responding to the CPR and should they continue. The doctor saying that he went so fast the doctor didn't have a chance to do anything. But what I remember most is the day he died I had gone to see him during my lunch hour and when I left they had hooked him up to an IV giving him blook because he had lost some overnight, but the way they hooked it up when I went to kiss him goodbye I couldn't reach him. I stretched over the machine as much as possible and he did too but we couldn't reach each other. So we gave each other an air kiss. If I had known that it was going to be my last chance to kiss my dad I would have found a way to get to him.

Never take any moment in life for granted and never wait until tomorrow to let someone know how much you love them. Tomorrow may never come. You know you hear people tell you this all the time but until you've experienced the loss of a tomorrow, you won't understand it. So, to my family who will read this, just know that I love you, I love you, I love you.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-12-02T21:46:00.004-06:00

Wow, we had a great weekend. My sister Ramona came up from Nederland, Tx with her husband Tim. They stayed with Mom & me here at the house. We started our weekend by attending 9:00am Mass on Thanksgiving morning. It was a really nice Mass dedicated to our dad. It also would have been his 82 birthday. After Mass we went to my sister Maria's apartment where her in-laws were going to celebrate their Thanksgiving. Yes, we crashed their celebration. Not really, Maria invited us. After filling our bellies we came home and stayed up late watching a movie and eating ice cream.

Friday Ramona & Tim went shopping all day. Mom and I stayed in and I took advantage of the time to do some housework. When Ramona & Tim returned they began to fix up Mom's bathroom. It really looks nice now. All that is left to do is paint and cover her window.

Saturday we all met at the cemetery to take dad his birthday balloons. It was really a beautiful sight seeing all those balloons going up to heaven with our special messages on them. Of course mine got caught in the trees and popped. But I know that dad got my message anyway. We later went to Luby's to eat lunch and then back to Mom's house for some fun.

We spent the afternoon playing cherades pictionary style. I came up with 14 different movie titles and you had to draw out the title and see if anyone could guess the movie. Of course, this group needed some motivation after filling their bellies with food so, I told them that as they won a game they could choose from my library of VHS movies and take the one they wanted. It worked because they later began strategizing with each other as to which movies to go for next.

Cito, I hope none of them were yours.

John & Jacque left about 7:30pm and Maria left about 10:00pm. All in all we had a really good time. We were missing our brother Cito but he and his wife were celebrating her parents 50th anniversary in Iowa. Besides we'll be together again for Christmas but this time we'll be missing Ramona & Tim.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, too.

Quiet but productive today!

2008-11-15T21:30:00.002-06:00

Well, other than the wind blowing leaves all over the yard, nothing much happened today. This is a good thing. I was able to spend some time putting my room in order. Mom took a long needed nap in her room and Gia kept wanting to go outside and bark at the dog next door. She can't see it because of their privacy fence but she can hear it and that's enough for her. Did some laundry, fixed breakfast and supper and now just sitting around watching the Wizard of Oz.

I'm gonna have to take some time to redo our budget because our pay periods are going to change effective January 1, 2009. Now instead of getting paid every 2-weeks, pay day will be on the 15th & last day of the month. Damn, just when I had it going right with the budget. Oh, well. Finances 101 here we go again.

Mom survived Halloween without a scream.

2008-11-01T09:44:00.002-05:00

This was our first year to NOT hand out candy to the little tricksters so, mom asked me to take her next door to sit with my cousin who was handing out candy.

We sat out side on her driveway which she had decorated with cobwebs and a blacklight. She was decked out, too. A long black dress with a black cape, a 3 skeleton head walking stick. She was sitting next to a small round table on which she had her candy tray, and a small pumpkin. Not to mention her glass filled with blood, from which she occasionally took a sip. She also had a vicious black hound sitting at her heels. It was dressed in a scary devilish costume. I had never seen "Boots" look soooooo cute. She was the cutest little chihuahua.

We had some cute little kids show up all in their costumes and then it happened. Across the street there was a group of kids and I noticed that one was really tall and dressed all in black. When he turned his head his face looked different so I studied it really hard. Yep, just as I thought, he was wearing one of those ugly rubber masks and it looked really freaky. Now I know not many people know this but when my mom was younger and worked at Baylor hospital she was scared by someone wearing a rubber devilish mask. Long story short she has never been able to tolerate those masks and even my brothers have never been able to get near her when they would wear one. So, here mom was in her wheelchair sitting outside and here comes this tall kid, wearing all black with a white rubber freaky mask and black hair sticking out all around it (picture Edward Scissorhands) coming across the street in her direction. I did some fast talking to mom and explained who was coming across the street and that there were little ones with him so if she got too scared she might scare the little ones not to mention he was only coming for the candy and not her. I explained to my cousin and her fiance why those masks scared her and they told her there was nothing to worry about because with all of us with her no one was going to harm her.

Well, Edward came and went without any incident but I don't care how far he walked away, he was never out of mom's sight. She kept her eyes on him from the time he reached the candy tray until he disappeared into the night. We didn't stay outside much longer after he left. But that's ok because he was with one of the last groups to show up.

The sad part of this whole story is how much our street has changed. I remember when we were young you could go to every house on this street and collect candy. Last night I could have counted the houses giving candy on one hand. It's not the same old neighborhood anymore. It's sad to see what the future is looking like for the children of tomorrow. Will we still rush home on October 31 to fill our bowls up and sit by the door waiting to hear the tiny voices say "Trick or Treat" or will it just be another night like all the rest?

Mom has an official Senior Companion

2008-10-29T11:39:00.002-05:00

I don't know how many of you know this but, since October 2007 I have been trying to get Mom signed up with the Senior Companion Program. This is done through the Area Agency on Aging for Dallas County. Anyway, the representative came to the house back in October and met with us to evaluate Mom's situation. They are the ones that had the handicap bars installed in her bathroom. They told me that it may be in January when they can get her a Senior Companion.

The Senior Companion Program is funded by a grant. They pay senior citizens to go and stay with your elderly person while you are out of the house. Well, January - May came and went and nothing. Finally in June they called and said that they had not forgotten about us but that they did not have any volunteers int he Mesquite area. I told them about Mrs. Alvarez, Mom's current caregiver, and asked them if she wanted to could she sign up with them as a volunteer and then they would in turn pay her to stay with Mom. They said sure but that she would have to take the training and everything. Well, Mrs. Alvarez agreed to do what she needed to do. In June we submitted her application. July she took the week of training, First Aid, CPR, and informative classes on diseases affecting senior citizens. She also went through a background check and medical physical.

This past Monday (10/27/08) Mom, myself and Mrs. Alvarez met with the Senior Companion Placement supervisor at our house to officially assign Mrs. Alvarez as Mom's senior companion. They will pay Mrs. Alvarez $2.65 per hour to be with mom. She will be paid for 8 hours per day for 5 days per week. They will also pay her mileage. Woohoo!!!! This is going to be a great help to us. We are very grateful to Mrs. Alvarez for agreeing to help us out this way. She said she really enjoyed the training and said that she learned more about Mom's Parkinson's Disease and she is now able to understand why Mom moves and reacts to things the way she does. Her official start date was Monday (10/27/08).

Boy, my patience was really tested yesterday

2008-10-22T08:46:00.002-05:00

It started as a beautiful day and the next thing you know, SATAN reared his ugly head in the church office.

One of our front office workers got really upset with some of us because she just found out yesterday afternoon that one of the other workers in the front office may be going to a workshop on Friday and how can that be if she (Satan's puppet) is leaving early on Friday to go to her daughter's football game because she has volunteered to be the snack mom for the band. She blew up out of control at Michelle, Imelda and myself. I got it when I went in there to try to calm her down because I could hear her all the way into my office. Thank God it was right after lunch an none of the priests or directors had returned yet.

I kept trying to calm her down because she even began crying about she always tries to let everyone know her schedule at least 2 months in advance and why is it that people just spring things on her at the last minute. Imelda tried to explain to her that she did not know if they were going to get to go to the conference/workshop until Friday afternoon and she was already gone to her daughter's game. Even so, not finding out about an event on Tuesday that MIGHT take place on Friday is not a last minute notice. No one ever said she could not leave early for the game, if anything, arrangements had been made to cover for Michelle so that she would not be left in the office alone.

It just reached an embarrassing point and I finally just said, "look, this is a simple lack of communication and we what we all need to agree on is to try to do better in the communication department. But, we also need to prepare for the fact that this is not going to be the last time something like this happens and we cannot take it personally. No one is trying to intentionally offend or hurt someone's feelings. It's just how things happen sometimes and we need to be able to deal with these things without getting all upset and out of control."

They all apologized to each other and everyone went back to work. As for me, I had to keep reminding myself that I worked in a church office so, kicking someone's ass, especially when they yelled at me about ganging up on them, was definitely out of the question. Ask anyone in my family, I only discuss for so long before my fist flies into your face to shut you the hell up. Then I tend to feel much better. The good thing is that my joints now don't let me react as quickly as I did in the past so I've learned to just leave the idiots talking. But if they follow, I'll not be held responsible.

And how was your day?

Beautiful Weekend

2008-10-19T21:13:00.000-05:00

This has been the most beautiful weekend. Why oh why didn't I have a yard sale??? Oh well, I'll just have to wait for the next beautiful weekend.

Mom and I stayed in this morning but around 3:00pm we went outside and sat on her swing. It was beautiful outside. Belinda came over and we all just sat outside and talked. It seemed like old times. We haven't sat out there like that since Dad died. The three of us used to go outside at night, especially on the weekends and just sit and swing and watch the cars go by. We talked about bills, life, and family.

Belinda and I both had some laundry to finish so we came inside about 5:00pm and then I went to Taco Cabana to get me & mom some supper. She's sleeping now and I'm listening to "Brothers & Sisters". Gia & Juan Diego have both been fed and are laid out like to fat babies, out to the world.

I guess I'm gonna call it a night myself. An early night sounds good. Hope everyone has a great night.

What a life!

2008-10-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

He's fat & furry and you never know where he is until you hear the jingle of his tags. Yes, I'm talking about Juan Diego. Let me begin by immediately taking ownership of my part in his behavior. Yes, I have spoiled him but I just picked up where Dad left off and I am not the only, you all know who I'm talking to. But now he has upped his game a little too much.

Juan Diego has always been happy with dry Purina Cat Chow for his meals. He has never been into human food and still isn't. He's not a moocher. Purina began adding a sample can of their Fancy Feast Medley's canned food in theri bags of dry food and I unwittingly decided to open one up for him one day and just see if he would like it. BIG MISTAKE!!! Not only did he like it he now cries everytime he sees me if I don't give him a can. So yes, I cratered and went out and bought him a box of fancy fest canned food, notice I didn't say medley's. I opened a can and he only nibbled at it and left the rest of the food in the bowl untouched. I decided that if he got hungry enough he would eat it. Wrong! He decided to challenge me and would not touch the food instead he would wait for me to feed Gia her food and then eat her leftovers.

Ok, I said to myself, we'll just see who wins this game. I'm not even gonna bother with the rest of the story, Juan Diego gets his can of Fancy Feast Medley's once a day each morning before I leave for work. Oh, don't worry I never forget to give it to him because he beats me to the front door so he can swat at my legs to steer me in the direction of his food bowl. To avoid snagged nylons I have learned to open the can before fixing breakfast. Hey, have you priced pantyhose lately?

Yea, it's Saturday!

2008-10-18T15:31:00.000-05:00

Last night I told myself, it's Saturday tomorrow, the house is clean, the laundry is done, so what if I haven't folded it, it's clean, and there's no need for me to get up early so, late morning here I come. NOT! I had forgotten that my brother John had planned to stop by and have breakfast with us so, I was up early washing up, clearing off the bar and making the coffee for breakfast. Oh well, maybe I can sleep late next weekend.

It turns out I'm glad I got up early because the day is gorgeous! I went around the house opening all the windows and the two doors. No a/c today. It feels great! Only one little problem and her name is GIA!

We now have new neighbors next door and, of course, they're working in their yard and such and Miss Gia has taken it upon herself to greet them with her constant barking. She not only barks at them when she's outside but she comes in and sits on top of our sofa and lays down half on the sofa and half on the window sill and barks from inside the house. She is so neighborly. I on the other hand refuse to close the window because the breeze id from the north and it's the north window she's claimed as her watch tower. What can I say, bark on GIA, claim your space!

Hello Everyone!

2008-10-16T08:51:00.000-05:00

Wow, this is like an online journal. Can't wait to start sharing with everyone. But of course that will have to wait 'til I get home tonight because I'm at work right now. All I wanted to do was post a comment on Frank & Maria's blog and the next thing you know I'm creating my own blog. How cool is that. Well gotta go for now. Look forward to sharing with you and especially your comments. Everyone have a GREAT DAY!