The Roller Coaster of Life

So much has been going on these past few weeks. I’ll break it down into pieces for you.

My Mother: I had hoped to be able to tell you that she was moving in to the Pioneer Home this week. Sadly, that is not true. She did all the interviews and filled out all the paperwork, but when it came right down to time to move, she decided that she didn’t want to after all. I’ll be honest, this caused a LOT of distress in the family. We were so sure she was going to go. Now, she has been taken off the list and cannot be put back on until 180 days have passed, and then she’ll be down at the bottom of the list. This means that when a room becomes available, she will no longer get first choice. She does understand this and seems to be happy enough with her predicament. Meanwhile, Bryan and I will just have to live with her another 6 months (at a minimum,  more likely another 2 years or so).

His Mother: Lita came up a few weeks ago to help out with things here in Alaska (to be expanded upon in the next paragraph). She has been staying mostly with us in our guest room but has also spent time with her daughter in Wasilla and with friends in Anchorage. Lita is a dear, and I love her like she was my own mother, but she is not well (terminal cancer) so stress levels are a bit high around here. She is doing well, but tires easily and requires a bit more help than she is comfortable admitting to.

His Daughter: Lindsey finally gave birth yesterday to his first Grandchild! She is a healthy girl, coming into the world at a hefty 10 pounds and 1 ounce! Betty will be only slightly spoiled I think, as pretty much EVERYBODY in her family held vigil in the hospital for the 24+ hours it took for her to arrive. Both mother & child are recovering, with a very proud father hovering nearby. I myself will get to meet her next week, I think.

Viktor: as you may remember from past posts, my cat Viktor has a rare blood type, so his vet was very excited about him joining the Blood Donor program. This requires him to have a yearly exam complete with x-rays and bloodwork to ensure that he is healthy enough to withstand the potential blood draw. This year, he let us know – in no uncertain terms – that he no longer wished to be in the program. He simply would not let them draw blood for testing, even after they wrapped him up in a towel and put a little kitty-muzzle on him! They rescheduled him for a week later and gave me some medication to give him to help him relax. Oh boy, did he relax! It scared me how much he relaxed - he could barely walk! And even with that in his system, he STILL would not let them. So: he is no longer a blood doner, and he is quite happy with that decision.

Naldo: several weeks ago, I noticed a wound on her belly that alarmed me. It didn’t seem to bother her too much and wasn’t painful to the touch – but it sure didn’t look good. Her regular vet did not have an opening for her, so I ended up taking her to a different vet to get it looked at. Turns out it was a bacterial infection: the doctor gave her a shot of mega-antibiotics and sent me home with some wipes to clean her belly with twice a day. Poor thing ended up having a pretty bad reaction to the wipes, so she had to go back in to the vet’s where they gave her what they call a “surgical suit” to wear.  She was NOT happy with this, let me assure you. But we had to keep her from licking her belly for a couple weeks, so she had to wear it. Thankfully it’s all cleared up now, so the suit is put away where she can’t see it.

Cardmaking: I “attended” a 4-day Card Making Summit this past weekend. Four fun-filled days of on-line classes, Guest Speakers, and Sponsor giveaways hosted by Stamp Me Some Love. I watched a few of the classes, but honestly was not all that interested in them. Most of them would have required me to buy new tools in order to create what they made during the class, and I have enough already without adding yet MORE stuff to my crafting room. There were a couple classes I really enjoyed, however, so I spent the afternoon during our Family Craft Day working on the new techniques I learned. I love the results!

Family Craft Day: this month’s craft day was a resounding success: 15 people show up this time! It was loud. It was chaotic. It was crafty. There was a ton of food. I am so happy to have everyone come over and join me each month – but I have to admit it was a bit overwhelming. I can’t wait to do it again next month!

Nails: And just because I needed something special just for ME, I’ve been playing around with painting my nails lately! Or rather, I should say, I’ve been having them painted. I’m going to The Blue Birch Salon in Wasilla where a young girl named Izella does amazing work. I’ve had anywhere from purple, blue, red, to silver – but today, I have GOLD Nails!