Hi Everyone.

It's good to see everyone on the boards.

I had a pretty good weekend. Went shopping with my little friend Cailyn. She picked out a "Dora" umbrella. We also got a new backpack for her. She wanted Dora for that to, but I talked her into "Strawberry Shortcake". Too much Dora drives me crazy!

I had a pretty good weekend until yesterday. I woke up with a sore throat. I slept most of the day yesterday and I ate a bit more ice cream than I should've.

Having IC is a bummer, but it's really hard when you have things like sore throats. I can't have tea, so no hot tea for me, no popsicles, even most cough drops will set off a flare, so it's vanillia ice cream for me.

I'm feeling somewhat better today. Still a little draggy feeling.

How's everyone else doing?

Susie

Good afternoon susie:
I understand the ice-cream thing. I like mine when I'm not up to par. Managed to go all week without anythough. While camping, my sinuses kicked in, and I woke up each morning not feeling really well because of it. Michigan weather just does a person like me with sinus problems in. Hope you are feeling better today though.

Summer: My sister Dlyn was about 5 years old when she had a grandmal seizure. She went into a coma, and almost didn't come out of it. When she did, she remained physically and mentally challenged. She also had crippling arthritis, and some forms of md. I'm proud of you because my parents couldn't handle the situation. Dad drank way to much and blamed himself for Dlyn's problems. Mom had 3 other children and was working and couldn't take on the job of taking care of Dlyn. Dlyn did go into a home, and might I add that back then, they were not the place to be. The hospitals, or homes back then would preform birth control proceedures on patients, without parents being told. We got lucky though and it didn't happen to Dlyn. But I remember my parents being irate about what was going on in the hospitals back then. Dlyn while there ended up have most of her stomach removed because of something she had, so the size of her tummy was about the size of the tip of your little pinky. When I was a little older, and i remember it was the year of christmas that dyln was 13 that she finally came home. Dad just decided that he was ready for the responibilty, although that really never happened. Mom took all the responsiblity and us girls (my sister and I). Dlyn was lucky, because she was able to go to school. She actually went to school with majic Johnson here in Michigan. Just before she got cancer, (rare form found in older adults) she was able to live on her own. She had a job putting tooth brushes together. She truely was an awesome person too. She had her moments of being a little more than one could handle, but she truely was a blessing to our family. Although being kids, we didn't see it at the time. I remeber having dreams of sticking up for her. I hated people starring at her in her wheel chair, like what she had was gonna rub off on them. Any way, Summer, you are truely an awesome mom. hang in there, and remember to find some time for yourself. Oh, right now, i know how hard that is.

Garret was screaming for 2.5 hours today. Nothing i did worked. Except hold him. I'm wanting to smoke oh so bad.
I'm not having a good day at all. Oh man. Well I have some quite time, from Garret. I'm going to get some things done.

Everyone take care

HI ladies!!!!

Wendy, Thank you so much for telling me about your sister. Dlyn sounded like a great person that had to endure alot. Yep, you do know what is like to have a handicapped family member. I'm happy that she was able to rejoin her family....even tho a lot of work went into it. I was especially happy to hear that she could live on her own and have a job for awhile. It is a shame that cancer had to take her life......she had many struggles in her short time here on earth. When you mentioned people staring at someone in a wheelchair, I've learned that there tends to be 2 different kind of stares. One of what you said..the 'ugh, get away from me' and the curious/kind type. The first one gets a glare [and I do mean GLARE] back from me and with the second I'll try to start a conversation or smile back....and it's always responded to kindly. In fact in Sams Club one time I struck up a conversation with a family that had their son in a w/c with them. He reminded me so much of dd. We had so much in common including info from Childrens Hosp in Denver. Times like those are so rewarding. Group homes/institutions are better now a days in regards to patients rights, but the abuse and neglect [mostly due to lack of staff] is still very much present. They can't sterilize people anymore without their or guardians consent, but in the very severe, like dd, it would be best cause a pregnancy [which would result from a rape] would kill her. Not fun things to think about, but very much a fact of life, and something I have to live with. My blessings go to you and those that helped Dlyn live to the best that should could. I know it brought up many past memories but again, Thanks for sharing about Dlyn. I hope Garret is having a better evening. Was he just having rough day? Now, you didn't go smoke did ya???? Don't get your lungs all messed up with that stuff, plus don't forget what second hand smoke can do to kids respiratory systems. Hang in there!!!!!!

Susie, hope this finds your throat feeling better and I have to agree that IC makes mine feel the best. In fact the warm tends to aggrevate it. OH, Strawberry Shortcake!! My 21 yo had a bunch of her stuff when she was young along with Lady Lovelylocks. Dora is cute, but I can see your point. We finally got Finding Nemo a few months ago and younger dd love it....me too!

Nita, I've been thinking of you and Eleni down there in Fla. I know Eleni was closer to where Charlie made landfall, but did you get any of it???? I was really worried when Tampa was the initial target. Thank goodness it changed direction.......but not for those poor folk that got slammed. My prayers are with everyone down there. Let us know how you are, please.

Eleni.........if you're out there checking on us here...............We Love Ya and Get Better Soon and out of that place your in!!!!!!!!!

I've had a 'better than it has been' weekend, but still feel overwhelmed. Had a elderly neighbor who lost her husband a few months ago over for tea today. She's really depressed and has no one else around so I let her vent today....she needed it. Then the elderly mother of my neighbor across the street came knocking. She can't speak English or me Spanish, but I could tell she was trying to tell me something was wrong with her oxygen. I went over, figured out what was wrong, came home and got some of dd equipment to fix it. Now I hope they replace what I gave them. I'll have to chat with her daughter sometime. I told my dh that I feel like the Angel of Mercy today. I'm gonna give my kiddo her meds and hop on my bike for a little bit. Kinda scared since it tends to hurt the knee more, but I gotta do something. Baby steps, baby steps, right??? Will let ya know how it goes.

Have a great day all.
Hugs, Summer

Hi Ladies,

I haven't been on much lately. I have just been sooooo busy. I have been working on my kitchen cabinets for about a month. It's a lot of work to sand them down and put on primer and then paint on the insides and out. I can't work on them everyday and I can only work for a few hours at a time. I just get too tired. It's not like it use to be when I could clean the whole house in one day. Now, it's really hard to keep everything done up. But they will be finished soon.

Summer, it's so good to see you posting again. I've missed you and wondered how you were doing. Hurricane Charley went through here. The eye of the storm was in the Orlando area and we are on the eastern side of Orlando so we got it. We didn't get much damage here. Just some broken tree limbs on the house. They hit the power line into the house but didn't break it, so we didn't lose electricity. Thank God. Several thousand people here in town still don't have their electricity back on. Some in the rural areas won't have water until their power is back on because they have their own wells. But we're all thankful that it wasn't as bad here as some of the places down around Fort Myers.

I hope everyone is doing good today. I wanted to write more, but I have an election school to go to this morning, so I need to get going.

Have a good day everyone.

Nita