MARCH THIS 'N' THAT

In case you thought I might have given up the idea of blogging altogether, the picture should be explanation enough: over the past few weeks Jerry has become seriously dehydrated, and due to no beds being available in the hospital and no appointments with our primary care physician or the gastro specialist available for three weeks, we have spent our time in Urgent Care.  Without going into detail, let me say that we spent more hours than we would have liked but at last, after three separate 3-hour sessions with an IV drip, he is now showing normal levels on all his bloodwork. 

No reason for the dehydration has been found yet, and tests can't start until a bed becomes available, but at least we get a 15 minute appointment with our own doctor next Tuesday.  In the meantime, Jerry (in the manner of his old self) has been busy trimming the bushes around our apartment, catching up on his self-appointed role as family bill-payer, and drinking Gatorade and Pedialyte to keep his sodium level where it should be!

 

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I have mostly managed to continue my daily walking regimen and earlier this week made a startling discovery.  A tombstone appeared, leaning against the front wall of one of the apartments in our complex. 

I am completely unable to let a tombstone lie uninvestigated when it is in a strange place.  I was able to determine (with the help of a kindred soul in Northern California) that this fellow (who was known as Ellis Bell, Ellis being his middle name), was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Red Bluff, California.  He left a wife and a daughter.  His wife, Millie, died in 1970, and at that time this tombstone was removed and a replacement stone with both his and his wife's name on it was substituted.  From that point on, the travels of this particular stone are unknown.  The cemetery district did not keep track of it once it was removed from the gravesite. 

I'm telling you, walking provides lots of benefits both to the body AND the mind.  As for seeing things on my walk, I was totally charmed by a tree face I saw the other day:

I walk in the street (a quiet "circle" street within the confines of our complex so I don't have to worry about being run over), which is how I managed to see this fellow.   Had I been on the sidewalk I would have completely missed him.   There were lots of little dwarfy figures scattered around on the lawn but it was this guy who caught my eye. 

I must get one for the tree in my yard.  I think perhaps the big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes and the larger nurseries might have them, but I did a Google search on "old man tree faces" and found that I have a choice of thousands of them to pick from, mostly depending on my pocketbook.  My tree isn't nice and gnarly like this one, but it still deserves a tree person.

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Just recently we learned that in both July and October we will become great-grandparents again.  The oldest great grandchild is graduating from high school this year.  It's true, there is a great age disparity between the oldest and the youngest, just as with our grandchildren, who range in age from 10 to 39.  
Makes us wonder how can all this be? 

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And the last thing is today I read in one of the newspapers that embroidered tea towels, place mats and pillow cases are "in" now.   Can you believe that??   Those were my "starter projects" back in 1940 when my mother put a needle, thread and embroidery hoop in my hand and said, "Barbara, it's time you learned how to embroider."  Ah, yes, it's what all young girls did then....and now it is coming back into fashion.  I remember it all -- dresser scarves, baby bibs, baby "sacques," along with the tea towels and pillow cases.  Whatever was flat, we ironed a transfer pattern on it and decorated it with lazy daisy stitches and french knots!  Just ask us how it's done; we can do it in our sleep, still!