Intervention

warning: no pretty pictures!

He was standing knee-deep in boxes, linens, Christmas ornaments, and books. Always the books. “Mom, do you feel that you’ve allowed your home to become, hmmm, errrr, over-full?” 

Now I recognize the opening line of an intervention when I hear one no matter how tactful the messenger. I began to respond by explaining that hardly any of it was my stuff....that I haven’t been feeling that well...that I feel overwhelmed...that I’d like to open a window and pitch it all on the lawn. 

(I attempted to wash the fence last week...yikes!)

He walked into my sewing room and I rushed to say, “Not so bad, right? Probably better than your workspace in your barn to which he replied, ‘touché.’”

The standard joke in my family is that I am holding onto some great-grandmother or other’s bun. Yes, it’s not seven feet from where I now sit writing this post. It is carefully wrapped in tissue paper...I’d like to send it up the elevator... Are you following along here? I may be in trouble. 

 As another case in point, I showed my son a drawing that his great-great grandfather had done of a young starlett sometime back in the 1940s. You should have seen his face. He may have even taken a step back. I am saving it, but I don’t know why... I penciled in a message on the back some months ago. 

So today I am recommitting myself to decluttering. I was able to declutter John’s barn and property by tackling the next thing. (Let’s not discuss how much of it is here in bags waiting to be sorted.) The first thing that I worked on at John’s was the stairs...a double flight. I cleared them so I could safely walk up and down without fear of tripping.  I think that will be where I begin here — the stairs.

I know that I must pace myself or burn out completely. Why I already have my dishes done and the Mancala beads washed so something has been accomplished.

Can dishes be "done" if they are still in the drainer? Am I holding onto too many sponges?

Have you ever found yourself in a nightmare like this? Can this wee haven be saved?

No Bundle of Laughs Here

Many of you know what a challenge the month of May has become for me. It feels like one loss after the next these days and if I thought that things would settle down soon I was wrong. The incessant clouds, rain, and cold perfectly matches the mood. Sometimes it's tough to remember the good things. Very.

🌷Tulips are gracing my mother's grave this Memorial Day. They were a precious gift from Rosella whom you can find HERE. She does a beautiful job of explaining the engineering behind these special flowers and the purpose for it. Hint: Does it look like a red maple leaf? ☺
My sister and I have decided that my father will be laid to rest beside my mother. It feels right. It is something that he told my sister that he wanted. That he told me he wanted something else is a moot issue since we would prefer to have him nearer to us. 
His obituary is in the newspapers today...always a surreal reading. I now sit in his chair and have many of his things around me...more weirdness.

If anyone is interested, I have added an interview done with my father back in 2008 as the featured post. I think it is quite interesting, especially on this Memorial Day weekend.

Sunday will mark the first anniversary of my husband John's passing. It has been a rugged year for me and for his family. Missing someone never really goes away. One gets on with life, but never over the loss. I hope to write about some of the things that I have learned about John this year that I did not know before. Perhaps I can make that insightful and happy reading, but you should know that I am feeling very blue these days indeed so I appreciate your prayers. 
And on that less than cheery note, you have a blessed and meaningful Memorial Day weekend. 🌷 My apologies, but I am keeping comments closed. How does one chat with such a person as myself in times like these? Better days are coming!

A Cautionary Tale

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath

Ephesians 4:26

Now that is a tall order. I don't know about your personality, but mine leans toward "red alert" on its best day. 

Simple things can trip me — a post that never updates, a car that does not start or a groundhog clopping across my deck like a small pony. 

This "red alert" thing really goes bezerk when I feel someone I love has been wronged. 

Two weeks ago today, I entered The Ponderosa (John's place) for the first time since December. The snow was finally shallow enough to get through the door without climbing a snowbank. What I saw shocked me, scared me, and made me absolutely livid.

Someone had entered the building and stolen thousands of dollars of equipment. This was done while my tenant watched. She told her cousin the responding police officer (can you believe it?) that there was a woman who looked just like her landlord (me) and two men. She said that she thought nothing of it because there were always people there taking things. Really? Really?! 

To say that I would like to drop kick her to the moon is not too much of a stretch. Did she tell me? No. Did she call the police? No. Now I could say much more, in fact, I did and had to delete it, but this is the gist of it. 

There are other complications in this mess. Did you know that in my corner if you do not have the serial numbers from all pieces of equipment that the police will not even attempt to search pawn shops, etc.? 

I have told this story as a cautionary tale. Get those serial numbers, make sure your insurance is current, take photos, and have an inventory. Also, never assume that snow covering the door is a deterrent. These people shoveled their way in and shoveled the snow back covering their tracks. I feel like such a fool to have fallen for that trick. 

Perhaps you can imagine how much I feel I have failed John. Oh I know that he is not affected by these earthly things anymore, but he would have been some kind of upset if this had happened on his watch. I certainly regret that it has happened on mine.

This advice is good and the best philosophy/psychology/"the world" has to offer; however, it does not go far enough. It is true that we can not change the direction of the wind, but it is also true that we can't adjust our own sails either without the help of The Lord Himself. 

This issue is so big that I know I can't deal with it. I know my ongoing answer is forever and always in going to The Lord. I thank Him that this is just stuff and that no one was hurt, except for the financial loss and that sense of being violated. And I am really going to need His help to show grace. I can not begin to know why God allowed this, but since He did, He has a plan to work it all out. And I know that He will work on this angry heart of mine, too. 

Same Story Different Day

Looks remarkably like last week's theme, doesn't it?

~hot chocolate and Susan's cookies — delicious~


Another Monday...I don't "feel" like posting; therefore, I will if only to push past this blogging block. Ahhh...better already.


It was a bitterly cold week with temps more like January. Looks like more of the same for this week. I think that is true for many places. I puttered with this and that spending a little more time in the sewing room than usual. 


Midweek, I received news that my dear friend Myrna had passed away in Oklahoma where she and her husband moved last fall to be near their youngest daughter. The time of the call and the fact that her daughter-in-law was calling made my heart sink. I wanted to answer with a "Please, don't tell me." Though I can be very happy for my friend who is no longer in any discomfort and who is safely home with The Lord and those who have gone on before, my heart is grieving for her husband and family and for her many friends and for my sad sorry self.  
Myrna had been a teacher for years only retiring a year ago. She has touched so many children's lives, including my own children and my nieces as well. I have been traveling down Memory Lane a good bit of the time since this news came. She was my boss for many of the years that I taught.  I remember happy days at school teaching our classes side by side. One of the fun memories is of my niece and her friend Sam who both loved sardines for lunch. The minute those sardine cans popped, Myrna would fly in to say, "Not again!" =D I don't think that there are any sardines in Heaven.


Thursday was my day with my father and we had a good day. Others had had trouble on their days so I was happy that we pretty much sailed through and, except for the fact that my father was convinced he owned a helicopter, everything seemed okay. (Apologies for the mixed metaphors...boats, helicopters...) Perhaps growing up with a father whose fondest wish was to own a monkey, the helicopter seemed logical. I asked him if the helicopter was expensive to run and he said that it was "surprisingly reasonable." All righty then, that's good to know.


By Friday, things were not going so well. He had an "episode" while with his aides. I met my sister at the Emergency Room where he was taken. We spent a long day there. He was sent home late in the evening with a prescription. He had been told that he'd be leaving at suppertime so I bid everyone, now including my son and brother-in-law, a goodbye and left. While I was home cozy and warm, they were there another three hours! The nurse practitioner had had another thought and so more tests were done and more blood drawn. Nothing came of her brainstorms, thankfully.
 As I was backing out of my garage to leave for the hospital, I noticed packages on the stoop. I am too curious to leave things outside until I got home, though it may have accounted for my ducking out early. => This is what had arrived...

One was a cookie kit from Susan of My Mother's Apron Strings. These cookies are featured on This Post. They have a unique ingredient.

Susan is a designer with Elizabeth Craft Designs and creates the most amazing flowers for cards and decor. Just look at ↑the sweet apron card and the yellow roses card she sent back in June.↓ 

~exquisite~

The other was a book by Linda Born called The Children Are Tender. It's a novel about a young teacher who has many adventures with her students through the years. A God Breeze... Linda blogs at God, Mom, Alzheimer's, and Me, which is a wonderful blog for caregivers.

Sweet and Pleasant diversions in a challenging week. I am very blessed.

I climbed up there and changed the clock myself. It meant going a little higher than I like to be...the third step...whoaaaa...but I did it! My son is going to be so impressed. He's a busy man and doesn't need to be taking care of his mother...yet.  
Thank you for reading! Many blessings to you this week... 

Instagram...Really?

♪Where have all the bloggers gone

Long time passing

Where have all the bloggers gone

Long time ago

🌷🌷🌷

Where have all the bloggers gone

Gone to Instagram every one

When will they ever learn

When will they ever learn ♫

Now I certainly might have guessed this if I had been thinking, especially since I myself have gone to Instagram. 

As a word-loving person, Instagram is definitely not my favorite social media outlet; however, it is convenient. I made my Instagram account private because it began to feel as if things were snowballing. I had some fun, new folks following along, but I had no idea how they'd arrived. I have a temporary hold on inviting more folks along until I can do some vetting. This is sometimes a challenge because the other Instagram person may also have a private account. If I don't figure it out soon, I'll probably let Instagram go by the way.

Thanks to all who helped me figure out what is happening to our little blogging community. There are many culprits from illness to loss to envy to feeling neglected or overlooked. Feedback is important to most bloggers! I am surely guilty of neglecting folks, though I really do try to be in touch. You can always nudge me. I'll wake up! And please never feel that you should not comment because I have "enough" comments. I make a lot of visits and give a lot of comments to "earn" (if that's the right word) them. 

💛♥💛♥💛♥💛♥💛

Remember my mentioning Gabby shown with my father in the last post?

She gave her notice and today will be her last day with my dad. He found out when I was there last Monday. He got a little emotional and told me that he really liked her and didn't want her to go. She told him that if it was up to him, she wouldn't leave because he has been her favorite. These poor home healthcare providers get taken for a ride all too often as has been the case for Gabby. I hope that she is moving on up. And I am praying that the next helper will also be a good one because it is not easy for my father either.
💛♥💛♥💛♥💛♥💛 

The new sofa, a Lovesac, arrived at my sister's Tuesday via UPS or was it Fedex? Anyway, it came in 18 boxes. The poor delivery guy asked, "So what is this anyway?" My sister showed him the literature and he said that he certainly hoped that it did not catch on. Kim said that she didn't have the heart to tell him that it would be blogged about. Disclaimer: Lovesac has no idea that their customer's sister has a blog and I have no opinion...yet...about their product.

~by the window location~

My dad has already lost his station by the window because it is just a little far from the facilities. Watch the birds on the one hand or get to the restroom on the other. The birds lost. 

~New Location and Trying to figure out the Sactional~

↑The only critters I've seen using the new sofa are these Jellycats™ (I don't know, they look like rabbits to me) above and the regular cat Lily.→

💛♥💛♥💛♥💛♥💛 

Some day, we must have a simple chat over tea~coffee and with crumpets or something... I have a new Keurig, thanks to my son and daughter-in-law. It has been great fun to make my selection every morning. There are lots of choices for us to make! Then I will tell you what I have been up to and ask you some questions because I am nosy like that like learning your thoughts. 

Thank you for visit! Have a blessed weekend...

P.S. I turn my back for three hours and the entire post goes south. Formatting issues horribly awry here today. My apologies and, thing is, I doubt that you care, but for someone like me, who once worked in publishing, this makes my hair stand on end. Ha!

Guest Post ~ God Will Take Care of You

Dear friends of "A Haven for Vee", I'm Abby from Little Birdie Blessings, writing a guest post here at Vee's request.

So many of you have been praying and concerned for Vee and her husband since she last wrote on her blog. She would like you to know that her beloved John was called home to be with the Lord on May 28th. She is very appreciative of all the prayers that were spoken on their behalf, and has said she could feel them.

Vee is feeling quite overwhelmed and has chosen to close comments. I do believe in time, she will be able to share again here at "A Haven for Vee". Please keep Vee and her family in your prayers as they mourn.

Vee's favorite color is yellow and I thought the hymn "God Will Take Care of You" was one Vee could cling to during this time of sadness.  Perhaps it will be a comfort to you as well for whatever trials face you today.

This is a photo collage of a day last summer, Vee and John traveled to my home for a visit. A day I'll always cherish. Here is Vee's account of that day:  Meeting Abby and Bill

Thank you again for your prayers at this time for Vee and her family. She is very appreciative of them and wants you to know that. 

Blessings to you all dear ones. 

Where Comes the Call???

Golly, it's a good thing some of you don't mind chatty posts because that's about all I can come up with these days.

~no bricks in this photo~
Just so you'll know, I am not confused about what day of the week it is. Thursday, right? Usually, I try to post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tomorrow, my daughter needs a driver so I will be busy. Yes, that ulcer. Hopefully, they will get to the root of the problem and be willing to give her the medication that she needs. Healthcare these days! Don't even get me started.
(For those who have wondered about my father. He has moved from Rehab to my sister's home where he will continue to recover and hopes to move into an assisted living center when he is able.)   
This morning, John and I were out in the yard early puttering with bricks. 

This is the project I showed you a day or so ago. Now it's all finished with some minor adjustments to be made. These bricks came from John's cull pile at the Ponderosa. I think he secretly loves it when I have a need for something and he already has it stashed somewhere. It vindicates the saving of good things. He has always loved the Edison quote: To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. 

It hasn't been all work and no play around here either. I had to document the first peony so tried to duplicate the Fotor collage of yesterday with a Photoscape one. Not quite the same, but good enough.

And to close...a Netflix recommendation from Hallmark: When Calls the Heart.

~*Abby's* Recommendation~

It is the story of Elizabeth who travels to a coal mining community out west to teach school. Just so happens that there's a handsome mountie on assignment there. This story is based on a Janette Oke book. Some of you will appreciate the irony here as I can not tolerate reading insipid love stories. However, at the end of a tiring day, I do enjoy watching a little something~something that isn't death, disease, destruction or murder. (Not that life is without its challenges out West!) Anyway, this perfectly filled the requirement.
I loved that Elizabeth journals so there are some enjoyable take-away lines. Here's one:

I've never felt so frightened in all my life, but my fear pales in comparison to how safe I felt in Jack's arms when he came to my rescue. It makes me realize that sometimes we need heroes in our lives, and sometimes, for the people we love, we actually have to become the hero.

Couldn't help tucking Jack in there again as he is not too difficult to look at. Ahem.
So do you have any fun video recommendations? Abby and I'd love to hear them!

Not Such a Great Vacation

♪Listen to my story about a family from Maine

Who saved their money to fly on a plane

Down to Florida for to have some fun

And that's when this story comes undone...♪









***











As you may know, I was dog~sitting last week for my grandpuGGy. That's what I call my son and daughter-in-law's pug as he was their first baby. Like so many newlyweds, they had a 

practice puppy. ☺









***













John, Fioré, Bazil and I had a 

pretty good week, though I never 

dared to send this collage, which 

was meant to say all is well. As you can see, all was not exactly well. Bazil 

(rhymes with "frazzle") was 

profoundly homesick.









***

Adam and Michelle and their sons Sam and Jake had gone on a Florida vacation along with the boys' maternal grandmother and their grammie's sister. Within a half hour of arriving, the first child became very ill, then the second, then dad, then mom. (As far as I know Grammie and Auntie escaped the plague.) It was not quite the week they had planned. There were doctor visits and anti-nausea medication. Mid-week, they visited Animal Kingdom and had to leave within an hour. Bummer!

***

They did have one truly marvelous day at Universal Studios. Oh the joy on their faces!

left to right top: Adam, Jake, Michelle left to right bottom: Michelle's mom, Sam, Michelle's aunt


***

I thought Adam and Jake were particularly stoic. If you'd like to see what caused them the fright, go to the 7 minute mark on the video *here.*

***
Disney World had to be saved for Friday. Sadly, Sam didn't feel up to it for long; Michelle was not up to it at all; Adam and Jakob did get to see the fireworks.

So what began in games and high hopes, had been planned for a very long time and with such anticipation ended ignominiously hugging the porcelain god. Not a pleasant time. Let's not even talk about the expense of such a vacation.

~We are all going to Disney World!~
(ETA: March Treasure Hunt when boys discovered what was planned for May 15—23)

***

John and I felt so bad, but were pleased to learn at our Memorial Day Gathering that their humor was intact. Though Jake had begged his parents to rent a car and drive home on Wednesday, he was soon enough souvenir shopping settling most decidedly on an Ironman costume. He had $60 to spend and the costume was $65. I asked him how he was going to pay his parents the loaned funds. He asked his mom what he needed to do to earn the extra money. She said, "Well, Jakob, you didn't eat very much last week..." Oh dear!

***

Sam spent his souvenir money on four baseballs. He is now in search of a display case.

***

I would have ordinarily taken photos of our BBQ, but the gang was all looking a bit peaked. John told them that they were "survivors." Yes, they are whole and intact and safely home.

***

Bazil was thrilled to see his family again. As we drove nearer and nearer his home, he got more and more anxious until he sounded as if he were hyperventilating. I asked John to let us out lest there be an accident in the car. Bazil pulled me up the street at a full trot and bounded into the house to hugs and kisses and pats. Later, as we sat around the table, I noticed that Bazil was lying on the deck dozing without a care in the world. He was not anxious, he was not whimpering in his sleep. All was well. He was home.

ツ