Some of you, my readers, have wondered where I went, what I'm doing, do I still exist....
I'm here to answer those questions for you :)
Where I went:
Crazyville
What I'm doing:
It's easier to answer what I'm NOT doing. I'm NOT coloring my hair blonde, not going on any special vacations (or even UNspecial vacations), not getting rich quick OR slow, not getting a lot of sleep, not getting my way, ....
I do still exist though, even if only by a thread.
I still keep up with ward history (such as it is) and I still oversee emergency preparedness (which is humongous! Just ask me for a detail or two and see what happens! Or you can take the easy way out and just read my other blog.) I've been a part of Venturing in the BSA for over a year now. I got my ham radio license recently. I survived Tommy's heart attack and subsequent visits to the hospital and doctors doctors doctors (I guess I'm continuing to survive those since they haven't ended yet). Top it all off with this: I just got a third calling- Cub Scouts. That's right, I assist Wanda J. as her assistant den leader for Morgans cub scout pack. I've never had 3 callings at once that I can remember. If I ever did, I have been quite successful at blocking that memory.
So when I say I've been up to my neck in crocodiles, do you believe me?
How did this happen? I dunno...guess I stepped into the wrong puddle.
I have to say though, cub scouts is still pretty fun and I'm learning that as hard as emergency preparedness can be,...it also can be fun.
Now if I could just stay home long enough to clean my house or cook a regular meal....
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday, December 11, 2009
Have You Seen It?
I mean my other blog. If not, go look at it! You're missing out on a couple extra smarts I have!
Prepare With Me
Prepare With Me
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Butt-Head
Sorry Mama...no other title fits this blog as well.
About 1 1/2 weeks ago, Tommy got to thinking about a haircut. That's not so odd. He didn't wait for me to help him. That's also not odd. Jared heard the clippers going and ran to the bathroom to observe Tommy's efforts. The conversation went something like this:
Jared: "Daddy, whatcha doin?"
Tommy: "Cuttin' my hair"
Jared: "You cuttin' it like mine?"
Tommy: "I think I will, son!"
Jared: "Good, I like that."
So Tommy cut a mohawk. He left about 1/8 inch of hair on the sides,...so it was a little odd for me. I couldn't bring myself to say "I like that honey!"...yeah those words just wouldn't come out of my mouth. I helped him get his lines straight and then just happened to mention it at Walmart to the girl we know who cuts hair there....she helped straighten it more and offered me job. HAH!
A day or two later, Tommy gets his razor out and while he shaves his face, he decides to shave the sides of his head too. That made his mohawk look better in my opinion. I guess I can admit it was growing on me. He even went to church this past Sunday with that mohawk. Some people didn't even recognize him. That's funny.
Life goes on, I figured the mohawk would gradually change shape a bit and in time it would be as common to me as Manti's hair is. Evidently, Tommy wasn't quite done cutting his hair. See what you think!
Now tell me,....is my blog post titled appropriately?
About 1 1/2 weeks ago, Tommy got to thinking about a haircut. That's not so odd. He didn't wait for me to help him. That's also not odd. Jared heard the clippers going and ran to the bathroom to observe Tommy's efforts. The conversation went something like this:
Jared: "Daddy, whatcha doin?"
Tommy: "Cuttin' my hair"
Jared: "You cuttin' it like mine?"
Tommy: "I think I will, son!"
Jared: "Good, I like that."
So Tommy cut a mohawk. He left about 1/8 inch of hair on the sides,...so it was a little odd for me. I couldn't bring myself to say "I like that honey!"...yeah those words just wouldn't come out of my mouth. I helped him get his lines straight and then just happened to mention it at Walmart to the girl we know who cuts hair there....she helped straighten it more and offered me job. HAH!
A day or two later, Tommy gets his razor out and while he shaves his face, he decides to shave the sides of his head too. That made his mohawk look better in my opinion. I guess I can admit it was growing on me. He even went to church this past Sunday with that mohawk. Some people didn't even recognize him. That's funny.
Life goes on, I figured the mohawk would gradually change shape a bit and in time it would be as common to me as Manti's hair is. Evidently, Tommy wasn't quite done cutting his hair. See what you think!
Now tell me,....is my blog post titled appropriately?
Thursday, December 3, 2009
My Insides Out
I need to get some things out, so this is just noise for my own benefit really. If you find it interesting to read, you might want to seek medical attention :D
Marianna, you've written it twice...you have the flower essence repertoire right there.... so look. Nobody else needs to see all that garbage,...you'll see it everytime you come back and read this. It will be ok :)
Marianna, you've written it twice...you have the flower essence repertoire right there.... so look. Nobody else needs to see all that garbage,...you'll see it everytime you come back and read this. It will be ok :)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
DuBose Thankfulness
I won't be able to spend any time with my parents and siblings for Thanksgiving, so in case they read this during this season, I wanted to be sure they knew of my thankfulness. Here goes:
Have good food, good conversation, and good feelings among you and think of me for a moment this Thanksgiving Day!
- I am thankful for picking up cans.
I can almost see Mama's face over that one. She's waited umpteen years to hear me say that, and even now, she doesn't get to HEAR me say it except in her mind as she reads it :D
But seriously, I'm thankful Mama made me pick up cans to pay for my trip to Australia. It was humiliating at the time, but I look back now at the humble quality it instilled in me and the appreciation I gained to be able to take such a trip. It worked, Mama! - I am thankful for cupcakes and wii and Guitar Hero.
I'm not a big fan of cupcakes, but sharing them with my sister over a game of "battle of the bands" (whatever the game was called) makes them the best treat in the world. - I am thankful for buckskin.
When I was 17, I had stars in my eyes and wanted to give my beau a Christmas present he would never forget, something with meaning to him. I came up with what I wanted to make, but had no idea how to get the supplies or how to make one. My daddy took me to the shoe cobbler in town, bought me beautiful golden buckskin and then designed a leather pouch that is so unique and beautiful. Tommy still has it, still uses it, and still marvels over it more than 20 years later. What I gained from it is a memory of my daddy, and how important it was to him to help me with this,....thank you daddy! - I am thankful for Facebook.
That's insane, I know! But that's the place I have gotten to know my little sister. She still does "little sister stuff" and I roll my eyes at her, but I've gotten to see things about her I've never had the chance to see otherwise. I've been able to watch my nephews grow when space and time have not allowed me to otherwise. I've even been able to argue with Doug there, and that's just plain fun! - I'm thankful for roadkill.
No kidding- ROADKILL! David and I actually went on a roadkill hunt once...but the hides we were going for were just bonus. It was the time to be together and talk,...something we've only done about 3 times in our whole lives.
Have good food, good conversation, and good feelings among you and think of me for a moment this Thanksgiving Day!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Family Excursion
I have been quite remiss in keeping content on my blog. I should apologize for that, truly I should,... but I plead insanity instead. If you read the post just prior to this one, you know that my poor respiratory system has been trounced upon for quite sometime and that my stress levels have looked down upon the highest mountains,.... and therefore it stands to reason that my emotions needed some relief from it all. I did get past that allergy of the dog dander, but wouldn't you know it---there is something else in my house disrupting my system? I'm guessing mold. It seems like all that's left to blame! I want to rip the carpet out of my house and bleach everything, but that seems a little extreme especially considering how much help I'll have available to me in such an undertaking,.... so its not done yet,....and I'm not well yet either. My sinuses quit being my friend a long time ago anyway,....
So let's move along,....
I've looked in all sorts of directions for that mind numbing relief that makes everything tolerable for a time. I found games,...not just one game, ... LOTS of games! I got wound up tight in those and had to involved my family in them. I hooked up with Lee and together we make a fierce a mafia who farms well during the day and indulges in vampire activities at night. We're good :)
That worked for a while. I was distracted. And then a little agreement came due.
Let's back up in time for a moment.
We have a friend. He lives in Nashville, but he came to a powwow we were at and that's where we met him. He is Lakota, so there is our common ground. He's a super nice guy and a really great musician. We've gotten together with him a few times and have a new but special friendship with him. Can't really explain it beyond that. Well, he had spoken at the University of Alabama in Huntsville last year, and they wanted him back. He had a conflicting schedule though, so he recommended ME to take his place. I agreed. I figured it was no different than the many times I had spoken to middle school and primary school kids, right? WRONG! There was a contract I had to sign, ... and I was formally introduced! That was a first!
We got our regalia together and packed up a collection of my beadwork and some herbs and headed to Alabama last week. We stayed in a nice conference center/ hotel and had the BEST continental breakfast I have ever had in all my life!!! SERIOUSLY! We got up and got our buckskins on and were escorted to the building where we were to present our culture. Our topic was native medicines and beadwork,... so I approached it this way:
A medicine wheel represents that circle of life Disney made so famous. It has so much symbolism in it that I could go on and on about that. I won't do that here, so if you want to know it you'll have to ask me. The basic gist I expressed was that there are 4 aspects to your health. You are the center of this wheel, where all the responsibility lies. The 4 aspects are: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. To relate these things, I described a medical doctor. If you are sick and go to a doctor, you are getting great assistance for your PHYSICAL health, but he doesn't even think about the other aspects of your health. If you are under stress, that is a mental difficulty that leads to a physical condition. That physical condition leads to an emotional depression and when we get to that point, we have no where to go but to our God in prayer. That's why hospitals put chapels in their buildings!
The native point of view is to focus on all these aspects yourself and seek help when you need it,....in all areas. So we approached our demonstration from there on in a similar way. Tommy told a story we tell children about a boy and a snake. The boy carried a snake from the cold mountains to the warm valley, but the snake bit the boy at the end of their trail. They boy asked why and the snake said "you knew what I was when you picked me up!" That moral teaches us to think first,...and be prepared for consequences. Choose wisely and the consequences will be easier to endure.
The physical aspect of health, of course, was herbal in nature. I showed some herbs, talked of ways I use them and how they came into my life. I had a good bit of interest in that! I was surprised!
Then was the emotional aspect of health and I feel creativity is involved there. In aboriginal healing ceremonies, images might be painted on a body, songs sung, beauty brought in,... and this is where I displayed my beadwork. If you let your creativity be a part of your life, that beauty will work to lift your spirits often.
Then we go to the spiritual aspect of health, which is your relationship with your Creator. At this point, Manti and Mesa sang two prayer songs. You never heard the like! I wish I could have recorded that, it was so awe inspiring and beautiful! It wasn't that professional sound you look for in a musician,....it was soul warming purity.
We ended with a Q&A session and then we let one of their instructors take a couple pictures of us. This is one he took with Manti's camera for us. What a time we had!
So let's move along,....
I've looked in all sorts of directions for that mind numbing relief that makes everything tolerable for a time. I found games,...not just one game, ... LOTS of games! I got wound up tight in those and had to involved my family in them. I hooked up with Lee and together we make a fierce a mafia who farms well during the day and indulges in vampire activities at night. We're good :)
That worked for a while. I was distracted. And then a little agreement came due.
Let's back up in time for a moment.
We have a friend. He lives in Nashville, but he came to a powwow we were at and that's where we met him. He is Lakota, so there is our common ground. He's a super nice guy and a really great musician. We've gotten together with him a few times and have a new but special friendship with him. Can't really explain it beyond that. Well, he had spoken at the University of Alabama in Huntsville last year, and they wanted him back. He had a conflicting schedule though, so he recommended ME to take his place. I agreed. I figured it was no different than the many times I had spoken to middle school and primary school kids, right? WRONG! There was a contract I had to sign, ... and I was formally introduced! That was a first!
We got our regalia together and packed up a collection of my beadwork and some herbs and headed to Alabama last week. We stayed in a nice conference center/ hotel and had the BEST continental breakfast I have ever had in all my life!!! SERIOUSLY! We got up and got our buckskins on and were escorted to the building where we were to present our culture. Our topic was native medicines and beadwork,... so I approached it this way:
A medicine wheel represents that circle of life Disney made so famous. It has so much symbolism in it that I could go on and on about that. I won't do that here, so if you want to know it you'll have to ask me. The basic gist I expressed was that there are 4 aspects to your health. You are the center of this wheel, where all the responsibility lies. The 4 aspects are: mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. To relate these things, I described a medical doctor. If you are sick and go to a doctor, you are getting great assistance for your PHYSICAL health, but he doesn't even think about the other aspects of your health. If you are under stress, that is a mental difficulty that leads to a physical condition. That physical condition leads to an emotional depression and when we get to that point, we have no where to go but to our God in prayer. That's why hospitals put chapels in their buildings!
The native point of view is to focus on all these aspects yourself and seek help when you need it,....in all areas. So we approached our demonstration from there on in a similar way. Tommy told a story we tell children about a boy and a snake. The boy carried a snake from the cold mountains to the warm valley, but the snake bit the boy at the end of their trail. They boy asked why and the snake said "you knew what I was when you picked me up!" That moral teaches us to think first,...and be prepared for consequences. Choose wisely and the consequences will be easier to endure.
The physical aspect of health, of course, was herbal in nature. I showed some herbs, talked of ways I use them and how they came into my life. I had a good bit of interest in that! I was surprised!
Then was the emotional aspect of health and I feel creativity is involved there. In aboriginal healing ceremonies, images might be painted on a body, songs sung, beauty brought in,... and this is where I displayed my beadwork. If you let your creativity be a part of your life, that beauty will work to lift your spirits often.
Then we go to the spiritual aspect of health, which is your relationship with your Creator. At this point, Manti and Mesa sang two prayer songs. You never heard the like! I wish I could have recorded that, it was so awe inspiring and beautiful! It wasn't that professional sound you look for in a musician,....it was soul warming purity.
We ended with a Q&A session and then we let one of their instructors take a couple pictures of us. This is one he took with Manti's camera for us. What a time we had!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Another Diagnosis
If you've been anywhere near me since last April, you've heard me cough. I have done nothing BUT cough since then and have hated it passionately. I couldn't get it to settle down, so I gave in and went to the clinic and saw the nurse practitioner. Don't get me wrong, she's a nice lady and has helped my family most times she's seen any of us over the years....but if I went in there with a pain in my foot, she'd tell me I had a sinus infection. It's about the only diagnosis we ever hear.
April, my sinus infection was different. I had all these other irritating symptoms too, like watery itching eyes and aching ears. My neck even hurt some. So I went to see her and got the dreaded diagnosis: sinus infection due to allergies. Well that was something new! I'd never had allergies before so didn't recognize those symptoms when they struck ME. But that's handle-able so we took care of it (that means I did take the antibiotic and claritin, and also took my herbs.) It eased up, but I had a little bit of a cough that lingered. Just the annoying noise, nothing major.
Then along comes June and BAM! It struck again full force and miserable! I recognized it as identical to the April incident, so why pay the clinic to tell me that? I just got another box of claritin, nyquil to knock me out and took more herbs. It went on its way and all that lingered was a little nagging cough. Then along comes August and BAM again. Just exactly the same thing. This is so unfair. It didn't help that these events were also coinciding with Tommy's episodes.
Well, here it is September and wouldn't you know it,....it hits me again. Now I've dealt with this garbage in the spring, the summer....and now the fall. What the heck am I allergic to? The pollens should all be different? Was I THAT unhealthy?
We made plans to go out of town. I had the dreaded sinus stuff hit just a couple days before. I got well enough I could survive the trip, and then the day we were supposed to go home, Tommy's health got a bit stressed. So we stayed. That next day, I got the full brunt of this irritation. It was awful,....but it wasn't the worst. That was still to come for the day we left Tennessee to drive back home. THAT was the worst of it! I lost bladder control weeks ago, so that's not new, but the serious pain in my kidneys was. Every cough was like a vice clamping down on each kidney squeezing the life out of me. It was so bad I couldn't drive and had to turn the wheel over to Tommy. I cried the rest of the way home. Having babies isn't quite that bad! Skipping past some of the details here ... Yesterday I got up and called one of Tommy's doctors. I don't have insurance and was scared to go see them, but had to know for sure if I had swine flu and the clinic had just misdiagnosed me. I haven't had all the symptoms for that, but it has been found in my region, so I had to be sure. We went and saw the doc and she asked when I first started showing signs of allergy. I told her about the April visit to the clinic. And she asked me when I got over it. I told her I never really had completely, that I always had a bit of a cough left behind. A few more questions later, she tells me I need to rip out the carpet in my house and put my dog outside! She said the pollens aren't getting me, my house is!
My opinion here: The dog has been here since last year and she's only indoors in the evenings. She's not going anywhere until I'm forced to put her out. The house though,.....
When I was younger, my mother told me that all it took for a word to be bad was intend it to have a bad meaning. She said I could even say "hot dog!" and that be a bad word if I had bad intentions when I used it.
My house is a piece of HOT DOG! Tommy inherited it from his parents and I can't tell if its been a blessing or a curse. Right now, I'm cursing it with every Oscar Myer word I can come up with.
Good news is.... I was right! It's a sinus infection that is bacterial,...and the bacteria is a resistant variety that has gotten firm hold of my sinus cavity. Thats why nothing has helped me much all this time, only helped me bide my time. The house keeps feeding the infection so it stays strong and I stay weak. I'm not contagious but I'm not getting it over it rapidly. I've got new meds: a stronger antibiotic (the stuff they use for anthrax) and a steroid and 2 cough suppressants plus robitussin and claritin again. Oh and one of those tablets is VILE tasting! I have to cram food and such in my mouth with it to get it down and not throw it up. The doc told me I could feel this way for another week, but next week I should feel some better and in 2 months I should be well. yeah.... t w o l o n g f r e a k i n' h o t d o g m o n t h s!
Anyone have a tissue?
April, my sinus infection was different. I had all these other irritating symptoms too, like watery itching eyes and aching ears. My neck even hurt some. So I went to see her and got the dreaded diagnosis: sinus infection due to allergies. Well that was something new! I'd never had allergies before so didn't recognize those symptoms when they struck ME. But that's handle-able so we took care of it (that means I did take the antibiotic and claritin, and also took my herbs.) It eased up, but I had a little bit of a cough that lingered. Just the annoying noise, nothing major.
Then along comes June and BAM! It struck again full force and miserable! I recognized it as identical to the April incident, so why pay the clinic to tell me that? I just got another box of claritin, nyquil to knock me out and took more herbs. It went on its way and all that lingered was a little nagging cough. Then along comes August and BAM again. Just exactly the same thing. This is so unfair. It didn't help that these events were also coinciding with Tommy's episodes.
Well, here it is September and wouldn't you know it,....it hits me again. Now I've dealt with this garbage in the spring, the summer....and now the fall. What the heck am I allergic to? The pollens should all be different? Was I THAT unhealthy?
We made plans to go out of town. I had the dreaded sinus stuff hit just a couple days before. I got well enough I could survive the trip, and then the day we were supposed to go home, Tommy's health got a bit stressed. So we stayed. That next day, I got the full brunt of this irritation. It was awful,....but it wasn't the worst. That was still to come for the day we left Tennessee to drive back home. THAT was the worst of it! I lost bladder control weeks ago, so that's not new, but the serious pain in my kidneys was. Every cough was like a vice clamping down on each kidney squeezing the life out of me. It was so bad I couldn't drive and had to turn the wheel over to Tommy. I cried the rest of the way home. Having babies isn't quite that bad! Skipping past some of the details here ... Yesterday I got up and called one of Tommy's doctors. I don't have insurance and was scared to go see them, but had to know for sure if I had swine flu and the clinic had just misdiagnosed me. I haven't had all the symptoms for that, but it has been found in my region, so I had to be sure. We went and saw the doc and she asked when I first started showing signs of allergy. I told her about the April visit to the clinic. And she asked me when I got over it. I told her I never really had completely, that I always had a bit of a cough left behind. A few more questions later, she tells me I need to rip out the carpet in my house and put my dog outside! She said the pollens aren't getting me, my house is!
My opinion here: The dog has been here since last year and she's only indoors in the evenings. She's not going anywhere until I'm forced to put her out. The house though,.....
When I was younger, my mother told me that all it took for a word to be bad was intend it to have a bad meaning. She said I could even say "hot dog!" and that be a bad word if I had bad intentions when I used it.
My house is a piece of HOT DOG! Tommy inherited it from his parents and I can't tell if its been a blessing or a curse. Right now, I'm cursing it with every Oscar Myer word I can come up with.
Good news is.... I was right! It's a sinus infection that is bacterial,...and the bacteria is a resistant variety that has gotten firm hold of my sinus cavity. Thats why nothing has helped me much all this time, only helped me bide my time. The house keeps feeding the infection so it stays strong and I stay weak. I'm not contagious but I'm not getting it over it rapidly. I've got new meds: a stronger antibiotic (the stuff they use for anthrax) and a steroid and 2 cough suppressants plus robitussin and claritin again. Oh and one of those tablets is VILE tasting! I have to cram food and such in my mouth with it to get it down and not throw it up. The doc told me I could feel this way for another week, but next week I should feel some better and in 2 months I should be well. yeah.... t w o l o n g f r e a k i n' h o t d o g m o n t h s!
Anyone have a tissue?
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