What am I Thinking?

My writing quarters

After a long weeks work and being rather exhausted. What do I do? I decided to repaint my apartment. Yes. I have asked the management several times for paint, never to get anywhere. I even asked for mere touch up paint considering it wasn't nicely painted when I moved in five years ago. Well on to more positive action. Not. I go to the local Menard's to attempt to match the paint and it didn't happen. Poor man mixed it too dark from a swatch I had from my apartments office girl. Also on my list were "Poddie Pads," no not for me, not yet. But for my little dog Grace whose feet were frost bitten so winter poddie runs mean screaming. You get it! By the way they were out of Poddie Pads! That was after walking around talking on my cell phone for an hour, yes, in Menard's talking to an old friend. So now my cell is dead along with my best Grandma and I have no paint or Poddie Pads and the day is 2/3 gone. I REALLY didn't want to go to China (Wal Mart) for my paint and Poddie Pads. But it was just around the corner so I did. The nicest African American man mixed my paint to perfection! Told me what days he worked in case I needed more properly prepared paint. Then a man from what sounded like Russia came up to him for help in coffee makers. He was very courteous to the old gentleman. Then a young chubby lazy female W.Mart employee walks up to flirt with the African American while the Russian is waiting and I am observing. I just laughed while the Afro American asked the girl why a Russian man would have to walk all the way to Paint to get help in Small Appliances? Like, Hello, chubby lazy, where were you? Her comment was slow and non impressive, believe me. That is when I realized I was not in China, but rather America. I took my paint and exited the building. Not before purchasing Chinese Poddie Pads and stopping at the optical area only to find a pair of Chinese Eye wear (which I need for work) for under $200 and that is with tri-focals lens. Oh don't go there cause that is another whole post...

Back to my point! I painted while my three Grand daughters ate, played dollhouse, and made me watch Disney for hours. I don't mind except for that show, The Adventures of Zack and Cody! Two twin boys that act like girls.

So here it is morning and I am stiff all over from painting. And maybe from eating greasy pizza my son brought when he picked up the girls at 9:30 p.m. I cant remember the last time I ate at that time of night, not to mention anything greasy. It was exceptionally good and I slept like a baby. Maybe my body needed some good ole greasy pizza for a change.

So here I am....writing a blog post, I think so I don't have to paint. How long can I live with my area all messed up, half moss green and half creamy white. The creamy white is trying hard to cover the moss green. Meantime the two cats and dog are outside on the porch making all the birds crazy as they have babies all about the building so they are diving at my little pets.

I think I will eat now. That will buy me a bit more time before I have to run the rollers across the walls once again... I can do it. I am sure that was someones famous last words. Just wont be mine. Now all I need is new carpet.

Coumadin

This is my Dad Joe..... He is 83 years young and had about four jobs up until this past March....when they told him he needed a knee replacement. He and Mother had changed from Group Health in Madison to Physicians Plus in Stoughton, Wisconsin to be closer to home and where his treatment was not near the quality of the Madison staff. In fact his doctor in Stoughton sent him to four other doctors to find out why his left leg and ankle were so swollen... By the way none of them could figure out why. Finally Dad made an appt. with a foot doctor who became very angry at the Physicians Plus docs that couldn't make a simple pseudo gout diagnosis. This doctor helped Dad immensely by putting him on Prednisone and something else so he could go ahead with his knee replacement surgery which did happen. Two days after the surgery Dad was spunky and walking...no kidding. Then he was taken to a the Nazareth Home in Stoughton on a Saturday where they left him LAY for Two plus days without moving him.....he said it was the first time in his life he thought he may have to urinate himself. By Monday evening he had lung embolism's and pneumonia and was near death. He was ambulanced to Madison to University Hospital where they worked very hard to save his life, which they did. But not without a long difficult recovery. We did find an excellent nursing home in Madison called Oak Park that is five star! They took such great care of Dad.... Dad went home on Coumadin and several other drugs weak with arthritis and gout and no way to take Ibuprofen which is the only thing that Dad has every taken. Ibuprofen and Coumadin conflict so..........Dad was miserable for months. He would talk to his "old" Stoughton Doctor who basically ignored him. Mother was not getting good care either so they made the decision to change back to Group Health Madison....but then came the waiting period for the appts. All the while Dad's quality of life was not good. His hands were so swollen he had to have his beautiful diamond rings cut off....no meds were helping. He was fatigued, dizzy, had lost 30 lbs., and generally miserable. He kept telling me it was the cumaudin doing it. I told Dad I couldn't fix this one....he had to talk to his doc. So after laying around in his chair and bed for months, the day came to see the new doctor.... I was swamped with work when my phone rang and Dad asked if I could meet him at the doctors office at noon. Oh sure! And so of course I did. And to my surprise my 83 year old quiet Dad spoke up for himself after making the nurses laugh several times. As I watched his little stand up routine I clearly saw where I got it from! What a moment indeed. The nurse listened to Dad's story for twenty minutes. He told her that he was a respected man in his town. That he worked at the bank after hours and he mowed for an elderly woman, Mrs. Johnson. And he was the town Constable and thought he maybe should give that up too as he had the rest of his jobs. He couldn't even sell his berries on the corner as he had for thirty years plus.... He told the chubby sweet nurse that he was a "wanted man," but that he couldn't help all those people that wanted him, anymore....Then this beautiful young woman doctor came in and listened to Dad's same story for twenty more minutes. When he told her, "In my bones I think that medicine cumaudin is taking me down instead of lifting me up." So she looked it up, read to him that coumadin is suggested for 3 -6 months on the first episode of blood clots. She said, "I will throw them away for you Joe!" Dad started laughing like a little kid... he told her she took the weights off his shoulders that very minute. And since that moment he has been a different man. I told him some of that was mental because he still had cumaudin in his system... he quickly said, "Bullshit!" And I agreed as I laughed. He is a different man this last three days. He says he knows he will be alright now. In fact today when I took him his birthday present he was out in his shop working. (Only three days off coumadin, but it's not mental, nope!) I would say it is BOTH..... By the way his sister is 96. He will be just fine now......

Chris's Guardian Angel

This small photo I found online. The little boy's name is Dylan and the article says this is a photo of a guardian Angel. I about fell over because I knew I had a photo of my son and I with the same "flare" in it. I also knew it was either a ghost or an Angel. And the look on my son's face told me it was definitely a positive force. He was usually an angry boy at that time and as you can see he has total peace and happiness on his face. Being an open minded person I tend to have photos "come to me" over my lifetime. Some are spirits, some are ghosts, but this one was/is different so I wanted to share it. We need to all realize there is more to this "life" than buying gas and driving to work and eating and watching TV or listening to IPOD's.
Personally I believe my son Chris is very blessed and has an amazing future ahead. If you go to his blog I linked to and read some of his work and see his photos you will agree. It is just a matter of time. And now I know that for sure after realizing/seeing he has a Guardian Angel that is making him/herself ap-"parent" to us and especially to Chris. He is being guided by a much higher and wiser PARENT..... Keep your eyes and spirit open for these faith filled little, but HUGE messages from our helpers beyond the TV and refrigerator.....

A Green Experience

This is Lindsay, my daughter who works with me on our new business called "A Green Experience." We clean homes and business's with all natural, no chemical, cleaners. We use lavender and vinegar, eeewww, sounds gross... It's not because after the vinegar kills all the bacteria, then the odor disappears. And the new fresh calming lavender takes over. Our clients love it. Even their children notice.
Lindsay is a perfectionist so their is never a concern she misses anything, in fact she "tries" to double check Mom! That doesn't always go over real well but is appreciated.
Sandy Kallio of the The Wisconsin State Journal did an very nice article on our new business.... It boosted our clientele greatly. We have met some wonderful families and pets.

You wouldn't believe what we run into sometimes. Like brown tubs that need a snadblaster, enough animal hair to make wigs, pounds of dust! And then again, we find homes where they clean before we get there. Isn't that sweet? I have a friend that used to tell me she had to clean before the cleaning lady came.... how funny. Yet I understand. I wouldn't want anyone to see certain things either. Yet most people don't seem to mind what we see. Notice we give no names and certainly never would discuss any ones dust with anyone else. We are like dirt doctors that honoring HIPPA laws.... we respect your dirt and we get rid of it without chemicals. We love instant gratification so this is the business for us....Within a couple hours or so a home goes from dusty and grunge to sparkling and smelling fresh as a bouquet of lavender. Clients come home to a smiling nurturing home. How wonderful! And for an average of $35 to $45 a week...... Less than a tank of gas!

The Ogden Brothers

Just so happened when Kim came "home" to visit this week, Chris, on the right, surprised me from Amsterdam.....and Cody was expected. It was very nice to have everyone together again. Especially for Kim who has been through allot in her short life. She thinks of the boys as her family since hers is gone. We tried to convince her to stay with us forever, but she still feels a strong responsibility to her homeless Mother in Missouri. Kim calls it "Misery." She is fifteen and it has to be her choice according to the law.
My goodness aren't they a pretty trio. I can see the calm in her face as she stands between them.
Wish her sister Katy were here, but maybe come Christmas she will be. She tells me they can use buddy passes to get here. I think that means flying. Katy is the other sister that just graduated in a past blog post and will be attending Culinary College in the fall.

As for Kim, all I can do is send her "the best wishes, hopes, and prayers" that she make it through what is ahead for her considering her decision to "go back."

Seeing the look on her face as she "looks up" to her Foster big brother Cody, tells the story of where she feels most happy, safe, secure, and comfortable.

Extreme Home Makeover

Bree and Kim today


Age 10 leaving at the airport, Bree and Kim











Kim and I
What a wonderful weekend we have had. Cody in from Los Angeles on Friday, Chris in from Amsterdam on Tuesday, and Miss Kim in from "Misery," oh excuse me, I mean Missouri on Friday also.. When she was 8 years old and her sister was 10 they lived with me for two years plus. Some family issues on their end needed to be worked out. Now I only get to see that little girl who is now almost 16 once or twice every two years, so this is a real blessed weekend.
We did the cookout potato salad thing with family over......then we did the reminicsing with famiy, then the swimming, more reminicsing...and now the day comes she has to leave.
But before that we are heading for Home Depot to try to find Ty Pennington. He is in town this week doing an Extreme Home Makeover and I just have to hug him...wait...the real reason for going to Home Depot is that Staples is next door and we are getting a new webcam because the old one says no go with my new Vista. Great! And because Miss Kim wrote a song and we are about to publish it to UTube! I will be back to post it when the deal is done. She is quite the marvelous young woman with only a few kinks to work thru considering what life has handed her in her few short years.

Are Razorblades Green?

Of course razorblades are green! I know because a stranger called my phone to say they needed "A Green Experience" cleaning service, Madison, Wisconsin to come to their home and clean it for a special party they were having the next day..... So we went and we cleaned with Green cleaners....Bio-Green, Vinegar, Earth Friendly Floor Cleaners with Lavender, Earth Friendly Window Cleaner with lavender, baking soda, no scratch pads, all cotton terry rags, and the infamous hardwood floor mop with terry covers....but.....no razor blades. Another lesson well learned for this owner of "A Green Experience."

You see some people don't call until the dust is knee deep or the flat top stove is crusted over. Why? I don't know but I do know now that razor blades are necessary and Green and I can use them to scrape the crust off the surface of a "used to be beautiful" black flat top stove. Well I didn't happen to have any. Nor had I considered the fact I might need any. So there I was with the crust, all alone..... I dug out the trusty yellow non scratch pad and the baking soda and spoke, no whispered to it, "come on baby we got to make this work!" I then took turns using the strength of each hand and then on to each finger pressing and pushing and looking around for anything sharp....nadda. The brown and greezzy thick crust started to move. Isn't baking soda wonderful, and you can even drink it to alleviate tummy gas which I was on the verge of considering the ordeal I found myself in, and I hadn't even gotten to the bathrooms. Or maybe it was my whispering to it that did it. Ya think? Not! I tried it, the whispering that is, the other day with a dragonfly and nothing happened there either. Back to my point...I asked the client, "Do you have any razorblades?" She ran off and came back with a USED Pink Bic underarm and leg and god only knows where else, hand razor and she tried to shave the greezy crust off the stove top. I am not kidding. I just stood there trying not to be Green. I thanked her and "whispered" that a one sided razor might work better, but good try. Oh My God! And I get paid for this. After a half hour of using all my strength it was for the most part back to a partially normal stove. People must not know that glass flat top stoves are not to be used like a campfire. I will tell you on top of my supply list is now Green one sided Razor Blades. Wait, don't go out shopping and asking for Green Razor blades because that is my personal name for those handy little gadgets I shall not be without ever again. Hey, they are chemical free and that means safe and green. I haven't even told you about my Green Lint Dog hair remover Brush... Next time.....