Spring Brings New Hope

After his latest visit to the hospital, my dad is back in rehab and seems to be doing very well. I've had my hands full threatening all kinds of people. Since his fall in late February, we've walked out of the emergency room (after a two-hour wait with nobody even checking on us), almost walked out of a doctor's office (after being stuck in an exam room for an hour and being ignored), and have left one nursing home in disgust for another. Unbelievable the amount of misinformation and stupid people you find in the health industry! So, I've been waging war on the powers that be to get Grandpa decent treatment that actually helps him instead of causing him to take two or three GIANT steps backwards.

But - there is other stuff being done around my own house! Yes - I hope what I accomplished this afternoon will survive!!!

I planted three hostas, a bunch of Cosmos, Batchelor Buttons, Black-eyed Susans, Poppies, Sweet William, some Pinks, Blue Salvia, Forget-Me-Nots, Sparklers, etc. - all from seeds except the pinks and hostas. I planted in pots, half wine barrels, a cement planter, and the ground . . .

In past years, once the little plants dare poke their first baby leaves out of the ground, the backyard bunnies devour the tender shoots. Makes me want to do some shooting of my own!! At least when I planted the tulip bulbs in December, they were quickly buried under a pile of ice and snow. Typically, the squirrels find those, dig them up and eat them like candy. Between them and the bunnies, I think they've dubbed this yard "Blu's Buffet." But not THIS YEAR!! I had about 100 bulbs I'd gotten from in front of my office building last spring and planted those and they bloomed beautifully! Now if I can be only so lucky with the seeds!

I did manage to get one beautiful hanging pot full of New Zealand Impatiens - kind of pink and white stripes - that I put in the big pot on my front porch. They always seem to do so well there, why mess with perfection?

And, to cap off a glorious afternoon in the yard, I barbequed cubed pork cutlets, fixed some pasta al fredo, some corn, and had a wonderful piece of bread pudding from a well-known place here - Annie Gunn's. Bought it Friday at lunch, brought it home, stuck it in a pan, poured the rum sauce over it, and baked it for 20 minutes - absolutely devine!!

So, with the good thoughts of whoever still reads my blog . . . keep your fingers crossed . . . and I will be able to post pictures of lovely flowers this summer - instead of ugly, brown patches of dirt!

Backyard Additions

My dad had a relapse and is back in the hospital - but doing pretty good now. So, while he's been laid up, I've been doing some things in the backyard. Finally gave in and got a squirrel baffle that seems to work really well at keeping "Stinky" off the feeders, so got a new shepherd's crook and two new nice feeders.

And, the result of all this? Is is worth it?

I think so. This is a goldfinch sitting and eating thistle (Nyger) seeds. I'm thrilled. The feeders have only been back up a day or so, and already I've seen these, little red house finchs, cardinals, blackbirds, bluejays, sparrows and chickadees, and a wren. The bluejay was the biggest surprise. They used to be everywhere but lately have suffered some sort of setback.

I'll be putting the hummingbird feeders back up in the next few days, and hope to have those little friends back soon, as well!

Happy to Report

Dad is making wonderful progress. After his fall, he was home only three days before the problems started. He developed pneumonia and was in the hospital for two weeks. After that, he went to a rehab facility (lots closer to home!) for 12 days, and then came home. I've been staying at my dad's for two weeks now, and am absolutely amazed at his progress. He's been using a walker all this time, and at first he was a bit wobbly. Lately his balance is improving a lot and he stands up without hanging on to things quite a bit. Seems a bit scary at times, but I'm getting used to it. He's extremely independent.

The rehab center sent out their squad of helpers - a nurse, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and an aide who helps with his showers several times a week. It seems if we are not going to all the various doctors, we have the "visitors" here taking all our time. We did manage to get out yesterday, however, get his income taxes mailed, hair cut, bird food replenished, hearing aids fixed, and a quick stop at the pharmacy. Today, we had the visitors, and a couple contractors who installed new handrails on the basement stairs, a new ceiling fan, and grab bars in the shower. So, as you can imagine, our days are filled with lots of things that need doing.

Hopefully, he will be off the walker in a few more days and I will begin staying home nights!

What's Happening?

Lots of excitement been going on here.

My dad, who turns 89 the beginning of June, took a tumble down the basement stairs the end of February. Since I live only about 3 miles from his house, I've been very involved in helping get things done. We are all so thankful that his injuries have not been horrible. He broke his left shoulder blade and has a compression fracture of his L1 vertebrae. After he fell, the hospital sent him home. Unfortunately after only 2.5 days home, he kind of sat on the end of his bed, laid back, and then couldn't move. Paramedics came, took him to the hospital, where he stayed for the next two weeks with pneumonia and a bacterial infection. Then he went to rehab where he kind of looked out of place. But he got lots of physical therapy and did absolutely great. In only 12 days, he came home and I've been staying with him helping out while he regains his strength and mobility. Except for swelling in his feet and ankles, he seems to be doing great. Is getting around with a walker and I'm keeping a close eye on his comings and goings.

So, please excuse me for not blogging more often, but for the moment I'm very busy and not knitting much at all.

Fall's a Time for . . . . Pumpkin Cupcakes!

There's a nip in the air, leaves are covering the ground, the clocks have just been set back an hour, and kids are excited about Halloween.

Years ago, my mom concocted the recipe for these wonderfully moist pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing. Granted, in our family, things like cookies, cakes, and cupcakes are merely vehicles for cream cheese icing . . . . but these are superb. (In the same vein, many vegetables are simply vehicles for cheese sauce.) You notice the traditional blob of orange icing in the middle? Mom made too much frosting and in an attempt to finish it off, added the little dollop on top. Now they don't taste right without that!

And how do I know it's the correct time? It has to be . . . . I made this batch last nite, my niece made a batch yesterday, and my sister-in-law (bless her heart) is making THREE batches tonite . . . one for the family's Halloween chili dinner, and two for my brother to take to the office. And, if my guess is right, my other niece has made some recently, too. You'd think the world would be awash in all these pumpkin cupcakes, but believe me, they seem small and don't really go all that far. But there are a few, lucky people outside the family who actually get to have some!

Christmas Deemed "GREAT SUCCESS"

Christmas was deemed a big success from the beginning at breakfast of my traditional family Christmas Tree Coffee Cakes to the leftover turkey sandwiches at the end of the day.




Seems we opened presents forever! Everybody was very pleased with everything, and we all had a wonderful time. I learned to play Eucher (a card game) from my niece, nephew and his wife - although I didn't quite get the hang of it and am sure I'll need more practice!

Even though I made it through the day without falling asleep on the couch, the kids still managed to snag my digital camera and take some very fuzzy photos!

Camera Banditos Look Like This:



The new baby got a ton of things and seemed very pleased with it all - just check out her "smile" below!!!



Has been a wonderful Christmas for all of us!

Happy Holidays!

For some reason (could it be love??), I have been filled with the Christmas Spirit this year!!! I've actually bought all my gifts in the stores instead of online. I've been making toffee for a couple weeks already and am finishing it up this weekend by making some as gifts, filling a couple more orders, and some to send off to friends. There's about 10 different kinds of cookies I want to fix (although I'll probably only get to one or two), and the family traditional Christmas Tree Coffee Cakes are ready for Christmas morning breakfast. I'm full of glee, since I got one big gift I can't wait to give, and have already gotten the gift I truly wanted. The only thing I haven't gotten around to is Christmas cards . . . but all the goofy ones I like were hiding this year!

Needless to say, my house is now stuffed to the brim with great baking and candy smells, the tree is lit and glittering, and packages are wrapped and under the tree. Below is a picture of my cute little bowl filled up with the Famous Field Family Christmas Toffee.



I hope everybody has a wonderful holiday!!!

Welcome to the Newest Member of the Family!

Welcome Lindsay Madison!!!

Lindsay resting after a difficult journey only hours earlier!



Great Aunt Susie with Lindsay - just over 12 hours old!


Lindsay wrapping her brand new Grandpa around her tiny little finger!

We want to welcome little Lindsay Madison Chappell to the family. The stork made a house call to the family doorstep on 8 Dec 04 with a 6 pound, 11 ounce bundle of joy. Since my own son was over 10 pounds when he was born, I believe this is the smallest baby I've held so far!

Seems everybody in the family is thrilled with the new arrival, with the possible exception of Gunther, the family cat - he hasn't had the pleasure of making Lindsay's acquaintance yet. All in good time!

Even the squirrels can't bug me on a day like this!!

Finally - 30 Nov 04

Just wanted to take a second and wish my son a very happy 34th birthday. To celebrate, we went to lunch, were ignored by quite a few waiters and waitresses, had a lovely time anyway, and spent a small amount of quality time together. He's a lucky guy - mom's gonna fix his favorite - a fried chicken dinner and a birthday apple pie - for him on Sunday!

Of course, everybody knows I had him when I was 10 . . . . . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Things here were nice. I had a couple days off work, managed to get some stuff done, and had a nice visit with my girlfriend, Julie, from Houston. I completed painting and finishing the kitchen cabinets and am now eagerly awaiting their installation. Thursday's dinner couldn't possibly be beat - Grace did an outstanding job, as always! It was so good, in fact, I had to take a snooze on the couch afterwards. While I innocently napped, the nieces snatched my digital camera and had oodles of fun taking pictures of very rude things!!! They got quite a giggle thinking what I'd find when I downloaded the pictures. Of course, I realized what had happened, saved the pictures and sent them to the girls in an email with the subject "I believe these belong to you..." The pictures can be seen on Wendy's blog - www.shoesandyarn.blogspot.com.

Friday night, Julie's dad took us to Collinsville, IL, for a great fish dinner at the VFW hall. Julie's brother, Brad, and his daughter, Kayla, were on hand as well. Was a very nice evening. On the way back from dinner, Julie's dad needed to stop at Walmart, so he went to find his stuff, we went to find mine - with a specific meeting place for when we were finished. Well - we made it back first, and no dad. So, we went looking for him. When we gave that up and started back to the front of the store, there was an announcement stating "Will Julie Ann and Susie please come to the front of the store? Their "daddy" is waiting for them." He really got a kick out of doing that!! It's been a very long time since I've been paged at a store!!

Julie came home with me that night, tried out the new bed in the "guest room," and we talked most of the night and the next day. Michael and Angela (of the cabinets fame) came by and we went for St. Louis-style pizza and toasted ravioli with Julie that evening. Unfortunately, she had to get back to Illinois, so was only able to stay the one day. Needless to say, by Sunday I was fairly well done and mainly rested the whole day away.

But after all that, it was great to get back to work today. Only a few minor calamities - the soda machine quit working right after it had been filled, the coffee service came to install a new machine on the 4th floor for us, I ran out of access badges so there are about eight people roaming around trying to get in, one of the guys' chairs disappeared, we need four laptop computers we don't have, and the bosses want to have us all for dinner together tomorrow night - is it possible for me to arrange that in about an hour and a half??? Otherwise, was a totally boring day! hehehe

I hope your holidays was filled with the blessing of great food, the company of great friends, the joy of life, and that your Monday made you feel as necessary as mine did!