STAN'S PROGRESSMy niece, who goes by Mrs. Darling online, has

STAN'S PROGRESS

My niece, who goes by Mrs. Darling online, has posted a new entry on her blog about how her dad, my brother-in-law Stan, is doing after being in the hospital for a number of days. I really enjoyed this entry because it gives such a great picture of both her and her dad's personalities.

She doesn't say what his prognosis is but it sounds like it could be fairly good. He will be in the hospital for a while longer. It is a relief to get the news as not only I but many of my friends on my various chat lists have been praying for him and the family. I hadn't known what to expect; it is a relief to hear that recovery is a probability, although he certainly has some complicated problems in his innards.

God has the situation in His hands, that is for sure.

THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER

THE AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER

An amateur photographer was invited to dinner with friends,
and he took along a few pictures to show to them. The
hostess looked at the photos and commented, "These are very
good! You must have a good camera."

The photographer didn't make any comment, but as he was
leaving to go home, he said, "That was a really delicious
meal! You must have some very good pots."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

The above joke came to me from my friend Jackie. I had to gulp and hope I hadn't said something similar to my photographer friends, although a camera's quality can make a big difference. LOL!

*****

There was a blurb running across the bottom of the Northwest Cable News channel yesterday, saying that the Mormon Church (which I was born and raised in) was celebrating the 30th anniversary of the "revelation" which gave the Mormon priesthood -- which is held only by men -- to blacks.

I did a search on Google about this subject as I was curious as to how the event was going to be celebrated. I found an interesting article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the subject (which you can access by clicking on the link in the first part of this sentence). It covers both positive and negative aspects of the LDS Church's handling of the blacks in the past and a current example of a black convert.

Until the time of the "revelation", individuals with any black blood in them at all were unable to attend the Mormon temple ceremonies. I have a good friend who went through these ceremonies quite a few times (they are done in proxy for people who are dead), only learning a few weeks before her mother died that her father had been partly black. According to Mormon doctrine, she shouldn't have gone through the temple ceremonies before the change in beliefs, but of course she had no way of knowing that.

I have written my LDS friend Fran in Utah to ask what the Mormon Church is doing to celebrate this anniversary, but I haven't heard from her yet.

I still believe that the "revelation" was one of convenience, as so many of them seem to have been, because at the time, college football teams were threatening to boycott BYU's team due to the church's stand on the blacks not being able to hold the priesthood.

Brigham Young and other early church leaders had said that blacks would never hold the Mormon priesthood, and Young had gotten even pithier than that, with very strong statements about what he would do to a mixed-race couple. Perhaps his adament anti-black thoughts reflected the thought of a majority of whites during his time; I don't know.

I am truly glad that those times have changed, to the extent that we have a black candidate for President of the U.S. But that is going onto a different subject. I do think that black individuals who are interested in the LDS church should do some research to see what the LDS church once believed about them. If they can live with those old beliefs, then fine. I'm not sure I would be able to if I were in their shoes.

*****

There is still no word on my brother-in-law Stan's condition. I have quite a few members of several lists praying for him. I am hoping and praying that he will have a good quality of life for a long while, despite what I have read on his daughter's blog about the possibility that he could have kidney failure.

*****

I am about ready to eat lunch, take another Vicodin, and then nap. (The neighbors' dogs are out and barking, which may make napping difficult, but maybe they will be back in the house by the time I try to get to sleep.) The Vicodin may get me through the barking if it continues. ;-) The arm got some exercise, taking the recycling out today, so has been sorer than the Vicodin could readily handle this morning, but that should change this afternoon.

I am really hoping that an evaluation of my arm will show that it is getting better on its own, and that it will just take time. I can guarantee that I am going to be more careful in what I insist that this 60-year-old body does!

RUMOR HAS ITLast night I

RUMOR HAS IT

Last night I watched a movie that just had 3 stars out of 5 as a Blockbuster Online rating, which should have warned me that perhaps it wasn't the best. However, sometimes I ignore the ratings because it can depend on personal taste and there have been movies I have liked real well that weren't rated overly highly on Blockbuster. So I gave "Rumor Has It" a try.

I liked the actors in the movie, particularly Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, and Shirley MacLaine. The movie came out in 2005, and I noticed a few aspects of the movie that dated it, although I can't recall exactly what they were now. I thought the plot itself was stupid, especially the references to the much earlier movie, "The Graduate," which I've always hated. I don't recommend "Rumor Has It" very highly.

MY DOCTOR'S DECISION ABOUT

MY DOCTOR'S DECISION ABOUT MY ARM


I am in between Vicodin doses -- or rather, at the end of one and while waiting for the new one to take effect and pretty well knock me out -- so I will blog quickly in the meantime. I am quite relieved at the moment despite my need to rely on this painkiller for now, as I heard from my doctor this morning and she is putting in an order for me to be evaluated by the Physical Therapy department. I will need to give the order 24 hours to go through, which means that I need to call on Monday to get an appointment set up, hopefully at the Tualatin Clinic, as it is closest to me.

I am also thankful that my arm pain didn't radiate down into my forearm and hand last night the way it did the night before, when I hurt horribly. My night's rest last night was fairly reasonable, although I still can't sleep on my right side.

I do hope that there is promise in this future, possibly including PT, to be pain-free!

*****

The following joke came from my friend Jackie:

Caution

A pharmacy major was taking a course in Dispensing. One day
they were discussing the various labels affixed to
prescription containers, such as, "Take with food," and
"Take with water."

At the end of class, the professor passed out a few sample
labels.

Days later he noticed that one member of the class had
stuck one of them onto his chemistry textbook. It read:
"Caution: May cause extreme drowsiness."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

Somehow I can relate very strongly to this joke. LOL!

*****

A few days ago, I mentioned a family member who is in the hospital with some serious health problems. This is my brother-in-law Stan (my late husband Steve's sister Virginia's hubby). My most recent report is that he is in surgery due to a large blood clot in his bladder and a kidney stone in each kidney. His daughter, who blogs under the name of Mrs. Darling, is able to keep the family updated due to her daughter having brought a laptop that is usable from their motel room in Boise. I can't complain about my health problems much when I think about those that people like Stan have.

*****

I received a very cute e-mail from grandson Noah this morning, thanking me for the truck I gave him as a preschool graduation gift. It made my day! (He dictates his thoughts to his mother, who types them in and sends them to me.)

THE LITTLE

THE LITTLE GRADUATE


Above are pictures of my grandson, Noah, which I stole from his dad's -- my son Jeff's -- blog today. The first is of Noah in the procession as he graduated from Little Blessings Preschool last night, and the second is him at home with his helper, little sister Emily, holding up his diploma.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the graduation ceremony because of my arm being so painful. I feel very bad about that. I am proud of Noah and, as his dad says, it's difficult to believe he will be in kindergarten this fall. How fast these little ones grow!

THE VICODIN FUZZY-BRAINI

THE VICODIN FUZZY-BRAIN

I took a Vicodin about an hour ago, and my head is telling me it's time to sleep. LOL! How could I take a Vicodin when they didn't come in the mail yesterday? you may ask. Well, I did a second check of the mailbox last night and either I missed them the first time around or else the mailman had accidentally skipped them the first time he came through and brought them back to the mailbox later. I have traded off a brain that thinks at the moment for a pain-free arm. I will try to write this post all the same; if that doesn't work, I will save it as a draft and get back to it later on.

I had purchased ingredients for a couple of dishes yesterday morning so I decided to make them while they were fresh yesterday afternoon, using my left arm as much as possible. The first was Blueberry Breakfast Scones from the Better Homes and Gardens Simple Everyday Diabetic Meals Cookbook. Here are pictures of them -- first on the cookie sheet and ready to bake, then baked and glazed, and a piece on a plate, ready to eat. They contain finely-grated orange peel in addition to blueberries -- yum!







The only problem I had with them was getting the inside baked completely. It isn't bad -- just a hair underdone -- so I am warming the slices up before eating them.

*****

Yesterday I had an e-mail from a lady who is working on the Schmap Northwest Photo Shortlist, and she wanted to know if it was okay to put the following photo in contention for use in her project.



The shot is of the Sternwheeler, which had been moored at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon, for the previous couple of days before heading upstream. This picture was a lucky capture. It will be fun if it is selected.

*****

BTW, thank you to everyone who urged me to contact the doctor about my arm. I have e-mailed her, although there has been no response yet. They do say to give the clinician 48 hours to get back to the patient. I have waited this long; it won't matter much if I have to wait another couple of days. My feeling is that the arm is just slow to heal, but maybe she will have other ideas.

NOT A GOOD DAYI am trying

NOT A GOOD DAY

I am trying to go about my daily activities as usual, but my arm is rebelling. As a result, I am feeling quite sick to my stomach. I probably should contact my doctor but I'm going to wait until Friday, I think, as I have just bugged her about my "barnacles". One good thing is that my refill for Vicodin has been okayed, and my nurse friend Sheila said that having that happen would probably indicate that my clinician recognized that my pain could take a while to clear up. It didn't come in the mail today, though.

I feel kind of silly because of others I know who are going through so much worse. That's one reason I push myself to try not to baby my arm. I regret it after I use it in a normal fashion, though. I am quite inclined to do my best not to use it for the next few days; however, that is easier said than done.

One thing that cheered me up this morning was seeing a fat bunny in my back yard. What a cute creature! Socks saw it, too, after a bit, and was quite intrigued from her perch in the utility room window.

I am very concerned for a family member right now and I keep checking the family blogs, as he is in the hospital and the possible ailments they were checking him for were extremely serious. I guess no news is good news on that front so far today. My prayers are going up for him.

I guess it's time to take the ice off my arm. Sheila also said that having to ice it a lot isn't a good sign. But as Steve used to say, "You've just gotta be tough." That's what I'm trying to do, although I am also trying to limit my social contact right now because pain makes me grumpy. Grrr!