Getting Better Day by Day

So most of you know my husband Rick has had triple by-pass open heart surgery....on March 11th he became one of the "Zipper Society". The surgery was a complete success and he is now home recuping.  I still can't believe someone opened up his chest and made his unhealthy heart healthy again...I mean how much of a miracle is that?

As soon as it was decided that the surgery was to take place our daughter Jessika packed her bag, packed one for her littlest daughter Natalie as well and they boarded a night flightto "help her Dad" get through this major surgery.

It meant leaving her eldest daughter, Piper Jolie Welcome Levinson, age seven (March 4th) at home with her Dad,  Peter.  Each day Peter made a collage and put it up on Facebook so Jess could see and share their day:

Today's Piper's favorite holiday. What to do? Make a leprechaun trap! The leprechaun didn't fall for it, but he did leave a note. (The pot of gold on top is actually a trap door.)

It's Pizza Friday!! On top of that, P got an awesome lego set from Grammy and set right to work. Quick break to pick up the pizza and then right back to it until it was all done. The little cat in the set is now named Taylor. The bird started off as Chirps, but later became Katie because the bird is a girl. (And Chirps is apparently a well known boy's name in the bird world?)

Now I ask you....how many Dad's would do this?  PT Levinson is a one in a millionhusband, Dad, and son-in-law.

Here is what it looked like when Jess and Natalie arrived home Tuesday, March 19th.

All together now. :)

1

I loved sharing this lovely story with you all.  I am a very lucky Mom!

See you all shortly.  I have compression stockings to put on, a heart-healthy meal to prepare, and some meds to dispense.  Mouse-making is on hold for now....

Linda

Hub Recuperating in ICU ByPass Surgery Successful

Phew! What a last couple of weeks.  After fighting to rid himself of the C-Diff bacterial infection, Rick had  Triple By Pass Open Heart surgery on Monday, the 11th.  He is still in the ICU but getting stronger each day.  Poor guy has now been in one hospital or another for nineteen days.  That is a long time for anyone.  He is so itching to get home.

Our daughter, Jessika, and her youngest daughter Natalie flew in from San Carlos, California last Wednesday.


 Natalie got to see snow for the FIRST TIME. She was totally delighted:

Her Mommy made her her first snowman:

It's such a good thing that Jess remembered to bring along winter togs. She borrowed a snowjacket and snowpants from Natalie's best bud, Soren, and also borrowed his little sister Rosie's snowboots and mittens so Nattie was all set and really ready to PLAY.

It has been amazing having Jess and Nattie here with me. 

Sending special thanks to each and every one of you who have sent well wishes and spent time praying for us.  We so needed it...and we are so grateful..

Linda and Rick

Hub in Hospital CA Trip Shortened

Really things are so distressing I just can't bring myself to write about them,

It's Been a While

Why is it that I am so unwilling to share when times are difficult?

Is it like that with you too?

I guess I find that I just do not want to cause anyone else discomfort of any kind.

My holidays were pretty miserable.  There is just no other way to say it.  A family rift caused great pain and I was unable to see the three grandchildren that live nearby.  After nearly fourteen years of weekly, biweekly and so many weekend sleepovers I can't even count - the house was empty of children and the happiness they brought.


I made it through the season of mousemaking and actually saw a rise in dollars over last year.  It came very very late.  I had almost given up hope...but it came.  I was able to buy presents for all five grandchildren.

We also had a huge plumbing problem in our basement - Yep that is where my Workshop is.  I had to carry basket after basket of raw materials upstairs and work on the dining room table.  That did not make for pleasant relations with my husband who "hates" my business!

The main pipe that removed waste from our home was broken outside and inside the basement.  We had several plumbers come to give us estimates - $5,000. was the highest and $900. was the lowest. Living on a fixed income meant that we didn't even have the money for the lowest bid.  That meant emptying twice daily a disgusting pail of waste water.  We did this for over three months.  One day I saw that my neice had used a plumber and mentioned his name on her Facebook page.  That very day I called and wonder of wonders the wonderful woman (wife of plumber #2 of 3) listened to my problem and immediately called her hub who was miracle of miracle "between jobs".  He and his brother came and FIXED THE HORRIBLE PROBLEM ON THE SPOT.  I was so nervous.  I only had $414.00 in my business account and nothing in our personal account.  My hub was at work and knew nothing of this.  I rushed downstairs to tell the plumbers that I had very little money.  "No problem", they said in unison. "We'll work with you."  Well you can just guess what happened then - Yep. Lots of tears and so many thank yous. I'm still making payments but the balance will soon be zero.

Can you even imagine how wonderful it was not to have to empty that disgusting pail twice a day? I realized I had just experienced a Random Act of Kindness.  Sure I had to give them all but $14.00 from my account and make weekly payments but it was so so so worth it.

It has been hard for me just to hold my head up since my husband lost his position at the bank nearly five years ago.  My whole world collapsed.  We lost all of our 401K plan.  We lost all of our credit. We now have one ten year old car left.  My husband was a VP Asset Based Lender. Now he works from 1-10 at Walmart.  He has to stand all day on cement.  He is 69.  He is depressed. He now relies on the Veterans for his insurance and medical care.  I have to pay 3/4's of my social security monthly allowance for my insurance.  If I didn't I wouldn't be able to pay for the hypertension, anxiety, diabetic meds that I must take each day. I am now on a quest to lose 60 pounds.  I am told that if I do I will no longer have to take half of my meds.  Sounds like a GREAT reward to me.  So hello fruits, veggies, legumes. Farewell bread, pasta, and rice.  I'll miss ya.

Thanks to the CT Housing Authority we were able to stay in our home.  Our mortgage rate is still over 7% but if we honor all of our payments for the next six years the $37,000. in arrears will be "forgiven".
In six more years I will be 70.  My husband will be 75.  Sometimes I wonder if we will make it...at other times I think, "why shouldn't we make it".  If we had had to surrend our home we would have had zero equity and no place to live.

We are never given the promise of an easy life.  I realize so many others have it so much harder.  Thank the Lord I have a strong constitution and enough drive to keep me going for a while longer.

I am so grateful now for each day I am given.  I try very hard to be grateful for any thing that doesn't force me under the bus.

I started this long and wandering post to tell you about a terrific post that a fellow artisan at the Old
Farmhouse Gathering Team (on Etsy) wrote this morning.  I hope you will all stop and read it.  It is
just wonderful:

http://handofbelapeck.typepad.com/blog/2013/02/worth-repeating-be-still.html

Linda

It's Friday. The sun is shining. I'm Alive.

I mean what more could I ask for.

I'm almost ready for my show tomorrow.  It is a little one in my home town.  Actually I think it is really the first time I've ever shown my work here in Ellington.

I've done 24, 18, and 12 inch decorated trees.  I've made lots of candles and greens in clay pots. I've made wooden wall birdhouses with Cardinals. Add to that lots of mice and lots and lots of wooden ornaments.  I have some beautiful wall pieces: swags and wreaths and baskets left from my last show.

I need to make some nice BIG price signs.  I need to find the table cover.

So...I am almost ready.

I ALWAYS get the biggest case of nerves before a show.

Here's hoping the customers will be kind...you just NEVER KNOW.

Happy weekend everyone.  Stay warm and hopeful.

First Snow

On November 7th before noon the flakes began to fall.

What is it about that first snowfall?  The beautiful flakes gather and coat all the brown of fall.

Everything looks so white, so clean, so beautiful.

When we first came to 18 Hayes Avenue there was not even one evergreen tree.  I was so  disappointed.  Why?  Because at our last house at 10 Hayes Avenue (yep, that's a whole other story) we had the most wonderful cardinal couple that visited us every year.  Cardinals love evergreens. No evergreens...no cardinals.  So... I had to visit a local farm where you could dig up evergreens at a very reasonable price and plant them in your yard.  I dug up a DOZEN.  That was the easy part.
Digging the holes for the trees in our yard was a CHORE.

Thank godness I was in my late 30's at the time. I still had energy.  The result?  Yep. The cardinals have come back EVERY year since and they brought friends.  Now I get to watch THREE couples.

After the snow fell it was so much easier to spot these beautiful male birds and their somewhat less easy to spot mates. I love it when they land on a wispy feathery branch and a bit of the snow falls off.

As so much of my life is still in chaos I am trying to concentrate on the beautiful things in life that are free and joyful.  I know there are so many.  Each day I am trying to find one.

Look for joy today.  It's out there and some of it is free.

Discouraged

I enjoy reading blogs.
Reading them make me feel happy.
I am always amazed at those blogs that have continuity.
You know.
Bloggers blog EVERY darn day or so.
They blog when they are happy.
They blog when they are sad.
They blog whether or not they can pay the mortgage.
They blog whether or not they have family problems.
I wonder.
I wonder how they do it.
I admire them.
Then I begin to wonder what is wrong with me.
Why do I want to hide when things aren't going well.
Where did my courage go.
Do I need to visit the Wizard?
I am just baffled.
Do you ever get baffled?
How do you get "unbaffled"?
Are you willing to share?
I love reading blogs.
They make me feel happy.