All I did was bend over to pick up a pencil!!!!

36 years ago today I bent over to pick up a pencil and changed the course of my life. How you might ask? Let me share.

I was finishing my last semester before doing my student teaching and graduating. I had several paper to finish, a book report to write, and some maps to color. Yes, my procrastinating goes back as far as anyone can remember. It was a Saturday, and Mom and Dad were going Christmas shopping for the little brother. M was watching cartoons and I was getting stuff together. Here is where I get a little fuzzy on things. The story as related to me by others goes as follows:

I bent over to pick up a pencil and got a terrible headache. A little while later D and his cousin came by. D and I were dating. I was serious and he was holding out. He was only 23 and didn't want to settle down until he was 30. Now the plot thickens.

D says that when they came by I was throwing up. Now I have to tell you that I only throw up when I am deathly ill. The last time I threw up was 36 years ago. He says that I was freezing one minute and burning up and soaking my clothes the next so he stayed with me until my folks got home. He had that nursing thing even way back then. They determined that I had eaten some spaghetti that had been in the fridge awhile so they thought I must have food poisoning. The doctor was called and someone drove the 25 miles to Miami and back to get me a prescription. According to those present, after taking the medicine I immediately went into shock. I evidently didn't have food poisoning. I am told that I went as stiff as a board and had to be angled into the car to be driven the 25 miles to the hospital. Boy, am I glad that I don't remember this.

After much misdiagnosis, it was determined(on Monday) that I needed to go to Tulsa and be under the care of a neurologist. They ran dye test and discovered that I have an abnormal mass of tiny blood vessels growing on my brain. They described it as being like a bunch of worms all curled up in a ball. One of those developed a weak spot. It was described as being like an inner tube that gets a bubble on it. When I bent over to pick up the pencil, I sprang a leak. Somehow they figured out that it bled out about a tablespoon of blood that was causing pressure on my brain. This mass of blood vessels couldn't be blocked off because it would have shut off blood to my brain and I didn't need any brain damage.

I do not remember much from December 19 to January 2. I have been told many tales. Most of them involved me patting D on the hand when he came to visit and telling him that all I wanted to do was to get well and go home and marry him. One small problem...we weren't engaged. He hadn't asked me to marry him. Good thing I was out of my mind. The story goes that on one visit I took his hand and sang "Beautiful, Beautiful Brown Eyes" to him. When I realized that his eyes weren't brown, they tell me that I started to cry hysterically. Now does that sound like something that I would do?

I had been studying British History at this time so many of the stories have to do with me being concerned about Mom running off to sail the seas with Sir Francis Drake or of not being allowed to courtesy when Queen Elizabeth came into the ballroom.

One thing I do remember is seeing a Christmas tree in my room and wanting the lights turned on. My Aunt Wilma and Uncle Jack were with me at that time. Poor Aunt Wilma turned on every light she could but nothing would appease me. Of course they couldn't see my imaginary tree and had no idea what I was going on about. Finally, Uncle Jack who had a beautiful voice started to sing Christmas Carols. I remember those lights coming on my beautiful imaginary tree and drifting off to dream land. There are other stories but I will save them for another day.

I came out of it on January 2 and they sent me back to the Miami hospital. I had to stay there about a week to get my strength back. I missed out on my student teaching semester and never did get all of that work done. My professors were so kind. I didn't have to write all of those papers or take any semester tests. They gave me some shortened assignments to do and that was that.

The only ill effects I have had from all of this is a loss of some memories, some severe headaches, and a weakening of my eyes so that I had to wear my glasses all of the time. I was told that I had to be careful for the rest of my life. I wasn't to lift heavy things, water ski, dive, or put any undue stress on my head chest or abdomen. I never could water ski or dive so I was safe on that part. I have been careful over the last 36 years. There are certain types of headaches that cause me to stop what I am doing and relax, and I am careful about bending over.


The best thing that happened was that D realized that life just wouldn't be the same without me. Did I mention that they didn't know for awhile if I was going to make it? Anyway he figured out he did love me. He knew I wasn't going to wait until he turned 30 and so in April he introduced me as his fiance for the first time. The plans were on!!! The following October we were married and it has been 35 of the most wonderful years a person could ask for.

To think I spent all of that time cooking for him, carrying irrigation pipe, and helping in the fields when all I really had to do to was bend over!!!!!!!

Company is Coming! Quick Clean the House!!!

Hubby D's cousin called Thursday night from Branson and wondered if they could stop by for a brief visit on Saturday on their way home. We hadn't seen them for a very long time. We really wanted to see them.. BUT the house was a disaster. Every time we tried to clean something got in the way like TV, sleep, reading, lack of inspiration. To demonstrate how much we wanted to see them, I told them to come on by. Hubby D doesn't like for anyone to see the house a mess and this time it was way beyond a mess. I informed him of the coming company and after the initial shock and the we can never get the house presentable in that amount of time, he got on it and worked like a demon Friday while I was at school, and then from 8-1 today we both worked like fiends. The house looks quite nice and we are quite tired.

The cousin and her husband came, and we had a great visit. They saw the living/dining room, the kitchen, and the bathroom. D had cleaned his office and library(quite the feat), done the floors all through the house, cleaned the pantry and the kitchen. Our bedroom and the spare bedroom are cleaned. My bathroom is cleaned. We did all of this and then didn't even offer to show them the rest of the house. We have lived here going on 10 years, and this is the first time they have been here. Don't get me wrong. Having the house clean is a great relief. It has needed it for so long but we did all of that and didn't even show it off or brag about it.

So I am here to brag. Our house looks nice. I even have some Christmas decorations out. Now Hubby D won't have to ignore knocks on the door so that he won't have to maybe ask someone in. Oh how CC lives on in his son's essence!!!

Our plan is to keep it this way from now on. Anyone want to guess how many times we have made a plan like this over the past 35 years? Ah, but this time we are going to do it!!! ;) Trust me. If you don't have a dream, how ya gonna make a dream come true?

I went out and got us Arby's for lunch/supper and we are now relaxing in our clean abode. Life is good. Since the good house keeping fairy didn't show up to clean our house, I am hoping that the good paper grading fairy will show up tomorrow!!! Dreamin' again!!!!!

Hurry Christmas(break), Hurry Fast

I know I just had Thanksgiving and a snow break but trust me when I tell you that trying to keep 9-12 graders hooked up at this time of year is like that commercial where they try to herd cats. It most likely is not going to happen.

The snow break was nice except I didn't get any grading done. I didn't believe the weather man and didn't even bring anything home to grade. On Monday, we were the only school in the area besides Miami that had school. The kids had some harrying tales about their bus rides to school. The bus drivers weren't exactly happy about having to drive their routes either. Our bus routes go all the way to the Missouri line at Seneca. Seneca didn't have school. Our bus routes go almost to Turkey Ford/Grove. They didn't have school. At least we only missed 2 days, and luckily nobody was injured in bus or car wrecks.

Since we had so many absent, I used Monday as a catch up day for students, and some actually did try to catch up. Most, however, were too busy griping about being there or trying to talk me into letting them go outside to have a snowball fight (like that was going to happen!!!!) to get very much done. The scores on their quizzes on Tuesday bear witness to this.

Christmas break begins 2 weeks from today. I have about 4 presents bought. Not to worry, I love doing last minute shopping on Christmas Eve. I love being out with everybody scurrying around and the Christmas music playing everywhere we go. Hubby D and the Cap'n aren't into that too much. I've been playing Christmas music between classes and sometimes while they are doing work. I need to get Mannheim Steamroller out and take it. Some students are decorating my door. I really do love Christmas time. Peace on Earth , Good Will Toward Men, Fa la la la la la la la la!!!!!!!

I must leave now. I have a pounding headache. I took medicine but it hasn't kicked in yet. I think I will go sleep on the couch while the reruns play. Life is good

Snowbound in Northeast Oklahoma

Word is that we got the worst snow storm here in like forever, man. Can you dig it? Yeah, but you don't want to, right? I was so happy on Thursday since it was Hubby D's day off and we got to just laze around and do next to nothing. Then, Friday came and I still got to stay at home; however, Hubby D had to go to work. I felt bad then.

For the first winter since we moved here, the garage is filled with junk. The garage door opener quit working last year some time. While the weather was bad, I'd open it manually but then when it got warm, I just parked outside. When you park the car in the garage every day, you don't get a chance to fill it with stuff. When you don't park the car in the garage all summer, the garage becomes a storage shed. This is where the procrastination thing really gets to be a bummer. I have intended to clean it every weekend for the last 3 months. Somehow it wasn't all that important then. So I've been off for 4 days, did I clean the garage? Right!!!!!

To help the hubby out, I filled containers with water and carried them to the door so he could get the car doors and trunk unstuck. It was sort of like a 2 person water brigade for ice. My ice scraper, a really nice one that Hubby D got for me, was nowhere to be found and his was in his ice entombed car. Besides the procrastination thing, we also never seem to be prepared. I was a Brownie along time ago for a year, but he was never a Boy Scout.

After bombarding the door with water for awhile, he was able to get it open and finally get the car running. He couldn't leave it running for very long because it needed gas. I didn't believe the weather man and had not filled up because I had enough gas to get to school and home for the next two days. Heck, that was all I needed. Live for the moment!!!

My car is not good on ice so Hubby D put weights in the trunk, got gas and went to work. The roads were bad. Many people did not show up for work at the Oklahoma Forensic Center, but hubby is responsible and knew that he was needed. Do you see why I love the guy? He does what he is supposed to. Whether you believe it or not, he is such a good influence on me. Can you imagine how much trouble I would be in if I didn't have him? I don't even want to think about it.

Well, it is Sunday and the snow is hanging in there. According to Hubby D, the major roads seem to be clear. I wouldn't know because I have been at home since last Wednesday night. The cupboard is bare so we are going to have to make a Walmart run soon. Most of our students don't live in town. We are definitely a rural area with bus routes covering hilly 2 lane roads and many of them are right by the lake. I don't know if they have been cleared off or not, but I haven't gotten a call so I am preparing to go back. Bathed, shaved, washed my hair and done the laundry. See some of that Brownie stuff did stick!!!!