My Own Thoughts

Category: My Life

  • Folks Notes on FB

    There were 100+ more. These are just the ones that either talked about my folks or from folks who knew them. October 1 Sherry: I’m so thankful you’ve had these past months with him nearby. I’m sorry your family is having to go through this time. I love you. Susan: I bless your grieving heart,…

  • For a Meeting

    Al asked me to present to students on a book that had made an impact on my life and a difficulty I was facing. Obviously, my dad’s death would be the main difficulty/challenge recently. I wrote stuff down so I could stay within the time limit and not cry. A recent challenge is that I…

  • Husband’s Eulogy

    Ron’s eulogy for my folks. Today we buried my wife’s parents in Flagstaff Arizona. These are the words I would like to have said at the service, but I can’t even think them without crying. There is no way I could have said them. My favorite memories of Cleo and Jennifer show their humor. Cleo…

  • Gone…

    Three weeks ago today a radiologist said to my father, “You should get this checked out. It might be lymphoma.” Two weeks and two days ago I got a call that said to come now if I wanted to see Dad before he died. It was his 75th birthday. Three days ago I was with…

  • Dad’s Last Days

    Dad went home to hospice on October 8, nine days after being admitted to the hospital. Uncle Jimmy got to see him before he left. Monday, October 12 Dad is far more talkative today. When Steph was out sleeping, I just laid next to him and talked about whatever came to mind. Dad said, “Will…

  • Hospice

    Dad is going on hospice Friday (ASAP for MD Anderson). He has non-remittable bone cancer, in addition to the lymphoma, and they think he has a third kind. Some other stick test being done for that, but will take a week to come back. Why? Because inquiring minds want to know, apparently. Please pray for…

  • Rabies

    Because worrying about my dad isn’t enough… My brother was bitten by a raccoon and has now been waiting four hours at the ER for a rabies shot. Please pray they get him one soon. The CDC says he should have a shot “right away.” Update: After 5 hours, he got the shot. Thank you,…

  • Dad’s Cancer

    My dad has B cell diffused Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Supposedly usually curable, but he also has double pneumonia, he has at least 3 of the contra-indicators, and his has been diagnosed (but not by MDAnderson yet) as high grade, which can mean it has spread. They checked his heart yesterday. No news on that. His kidneys…

  • Multiple Stories

    My dad is in the hospital and going home on hospice today. Please pray for him to not be in pain. Update: Change in plans. Doctor last night said, “No hope.” (Okay, literally it was, “He won’t live long enough to go home.”) Second doctor says, “Maybe we can cure him.” Now we’re sitting around…

  • Canvas carnival and other first day circus events

    I couldn’t get Canvas to cross list courses until I deleted them. So I deleted. Then, oops, that didn’t work either. Now I have to wait till I get a new Canvas course created (which I can’t do) to re-import the information from. Thankfully I do still have that. Canvas Hero (BF) showed me how…

  • Kim’s Barley Soup

    Ingredients: 1.5 c barley 96 oz of beef broth sliced 3/4 small bag of baby carrots 4 stalks celery, chopped soy sauce to taste 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic 1 lb steak, cut very small (as little fat as possible–She used sirloin.) Procedure: Put barley and broth in heavy saucepan. Cut the veggies up.…

  • Abilene Restaurants

    Ron said he couldn’t figure out where to eat (because it takes too much brain power) and that for a town where eating out is the major entertainment, there sure weren’t many restaurants. So we started making a list. We made a list and checked it twice. Then we drove around town. Then I went…

  • I’m Okay… Mostly.

    Everything is fine but I don’t feel fine. My head keeps playing all the stupid I’ve been in the last week. Why am I imperfect? Why do I repeat all the things I’ve done wrong (by my standards and/or someone else’s)? Really, nothing is that bad. I gave extra credit points. I shouldn’t in college.…

  • Stressed

    I’m in the last day of PCA and am very stressed. I think it is somewhat because I haven’t talked to a lot of people. I also think it is partially because I bought Island in the Sea of Time and it has lots of rape and attempted rape. I know it’s a classic, but…

  • 12 = Plus Size

    I just found out (officially and for sure) that US size 12 is a plus size. It makes sense when I look at my body in the mirror, but I definitely do not like it.

  • Ice Day

    I am apparently counting on having an ice day tomorrow, as I put the cake pops in the fridge and haven’t graded the papers I need to grade before tomorrow morning. Instead I’ve been surfing the net and learning that my dad’s family is descended from Swiss-Germans (or at least we both share common ancestors)…

  • Raspberry Cranachan

    For the Burns dinner Saturday night, we made Scottish Raspberry Cranachan. Original recipe called for: 6 TBS porridge oats (steel cut oats) 150 ml whipping cream 6 TBS good honey (purchased from Natural Grocers for non-pasteurized) 4 TBS good single malt whisky 1 punnet of fresh raspberries (about 14 ounces) We tripled the recipe, except…

  • Thoughts from Our Wedding

    I told R that I was going to be content. His definition of content is “giving up for good enough, because it takes more energy than you want to expend to do something else.” My definition of content is “a decision to accept and rejoice in whatever circumstances and work in and through and beyond…

  • Church Today

    From the Lord’ Supper comments: I am in the presence of greatness every day because God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit is/are with me. From the sermon: What if the voice of God had spoken to you? Why to me, when there are others who long for it? I don’t know, but I am very grateful, God. Thank…

  • Planning for the Burns Dinner

    Recipes: Hot crock chocolate pudding thick and rich hot cocoa–eat with a spoon Raspberry marshmallows Alton Brown’s marshmallows Scottish Raspberry Cranachan Order: Lee’s Snowballs