Fall.  mmmmmmmm.  My favorite time of the year.  I walk outside and just take a deep breath to take it all in.  I love the freshness of fall.  A time when you can actually stand in the sun and not feel like your internal organs are shrivelling up from the heat.  A time when you can walk barefoot outside and not feel like you've got 3rd degree burns on your feet.  A time when you can sit outside and visit with others and not drown them in perspiration.   When coffee smells the best and tastes the best.  Yep, I love the fall. The only thing this year the time change is not agreeing with me.  It usually doesn't phase me, but this year I don't like the darkness coming so early.  I've even gone outside and raked leaves in the dark this year...barefooted...with a cup of coffee...visited with myself(well, no one else would be out that time of night).
 But those dang mosquitoes will not give up this year!

I'm even excited about the holidays this year.  Usually, I am panicking about now, but this year I'm preparing so far ahead that I'll have to be ready without the panic.

Ok, I've got to sign off for now.  I'm sweating and burning up in here. I'm going to get a cup of coffee and go outside to cool off.  Did I say I love this time of year?

Later.

STUFF?
Is stuff really the things life is made up of?  Mine is, anyway.  I'm always wondering how some people keep their homes looking neat and clean, and mine looks like I have deciduous "stuff" trees that are always in the Autumn mode of dropping off their "stuff" leaves all over my house.  If you think I'm kidding, get this:  I've even gotten the leaf rake and raked "stuff" up, mostly when my kids were little.  Then I sit in the middle of my pile of stuff leaves and separate it all.  But, I always have another weather phenomonom that people only associate with the great outdoors.  I have March "stuff" winds that gusts through my house and scatter stuff everywhere.  I've found shoes on the table, food under or in  beds, toilet paper on the kitchen counter. When my kids were home, it was never a surprise as to where those uncontrollable March "stuff" winds would plant things.  Oh, and don't forget about the dreaded summer "stuff" parchers.  You've seen the ground where there are droughts and the ground cracks into a never-ending maze of open lines through itself.  Well, we have something similar IN our house.  However, it is almost always contained in a bowl, cup, plate, glass or such which has been left, evidently, in a time zone where the heat has dried up the substance inside and there are those drought cracks in it.  This is truly an amazing  happening.   And it takes  just as much  rain from the kitchen faucet to  get the "stuff parchers" to let go of the stuff in the containers.  We never run out of stuff in our house.  Even now that the kids are almost always gone, they have their little clones who come in and it is all the same weather phenomonom happening again.  I'm telling you this is the stuff that never ends!  HOWEVER!  I'm finding that they also leave "stuff ghosts" who continue to do their bidding when it's only Ronnie and I at home.  It's the only explanation for how this all happens when it's only Ronnie and I at home.  Oh, yeah, Wil is still here, and he has gotten better with age.  Gotten better at making his messes, that is.  Some kids never grow up.

Anyway, guess I'll get back to raking the "stuff" leaves and eliminate the holes where the March "stuff" winds are able to come in and do most of their damage.  They are really strong, though, because the barricades don't last long.

Wow, I can't believe it has been two months since I posted an entry here.  It's been a long time, and so much has been going on. 

I'm trying to get a schedule together again to work out at the Wellness Center, plus go to the toning tables, plus incorporate a much healthier diet for us.  I want to go, but it is so hard to get back in the swing of it.  I really loved going to the wellness center, so why is it so hard to get back in the groove.  I need to take better care of myself and help my husband do the same.  We found out he has emphysema which is causing him many problems in the heat.  He has taken such good care of me when my health started to deteriorate, and so I have to get better to help him. 

Ronnie and I took our first ever real vacation together.  We just took off with no plan as to where. We had a blast.  We didn't know from one day to the next where we were going to go.  And when we did decide to go somewhere, the rain sent us somewhere else.  And it all worked out wonderfully.  I have never had such a wonderful time.  I miss it terribly.  I am having complete vacation withdrawals.  I'm ready for retirement, for sure!

Also, since I've posted, we've found out that Cathy, Ronnie's sister, has lung cancer.  It is stage 4 right now, but she started chemo last week.  We're hoping to get to see her this weekend at Loman's for Joyce's birthday dinner.  If she is feeling up to it, that is. She's a real trooper, and this has been really rough on her.  She's been in a lot of pain.  They are hoping to shrink the tumor down so they can get all of the cancer when they do operate.  That will be a couple months away, probably. 

We went to visit Clif and Lora at their new home in Hamilton, TX.  He is the new vicar there at St. Johns Lutheran church for a year, and we were there for his installation.  They are really happy there.  It is an awesome church family.

We also got to see Missie, Jade and the kids during our vacation.  We surprised them one day and spent a couple of days there with them.  That was so much fun.  Ronnie told them we were leaving in a few hours or maybe we would stay, it depended on how many hugs and kisses he got from the kids. They about wore him down and smothered him every time they'd get close to him. 

Mama and Daddy's puppy, Tiny, got run over yesterday and died.  My dad was just devastated.  Mom said she's not getting another one. It hurts too bad to lose them.  I never would have thought that my dad would ever be so crazy over dogs.  But he loves his little ones.

Lora seems to be feeling better in Hamilton.  I think she is finally getting healed some.  Mandy has been having fits with the girls smothering her.  They're so jealous of each other and she catches the brunt of it.  Missie seems to be doing a little better with her pcos, too.  I hope so, anyway.  We've got some pretty good girls.  I'm just sad that they have to be sick so much.  But, I guess as the guys would probably say "it builds character and strength".  Yeah, right.  It just plain sucks.

Matt had to get 3 staples in his head from a fall Tuesday night.  He's doing really well, though. He's such a tough little kid.  It makes me want to hold him all the more.  We went to see them last spring and right after we got there Audrey got hurt somehow.  I found Matt behind the bed hitting himself in the head with a pillow because he thought it was his fault and he was so upset with himself.  Head of stone, heart of marshmallow. 

I'm going to try to post more a little later, but I have things that need to get done right now and it just doesn't seem to get done if I don't do it, so guess I'll give it my best shot. 

Wow, I feel like crap!  I felt so good yesterday and worked really hard all day, never dropping the pace.  But now, today, I am totally exhausted again and feel horrible. I have this horrific cough that keeps me up at night and so when I don't sleep I get sick.  So, I work one day and rest seven. Isn't that backwards?  I need more energy. I need more time with more energy. Have you heard the old saying "Three steps forward, two steps back"?  yeah, I feel lucky to get that good of results every day.  Oh, well, could use some prayers here.  Got so much to do and so little time to do it, and I can't wait to see everybody here together again this month. I don't want to do anything but play while they're here, and I want to feel well enough to enjoy their visits.  Well, I guess I should take 2-year-old Audrey's advice that she gave to her Papa Ronnie the other day.  "Stop Whining!"

Oh, my gosh!  I'm so excited!  In just a few days my babies will be coming home for a visit.  Well, two of them are actually babies, the other four think they're grown up and so we let them. Just because they are 24,27,??,?? (that's just for you girls, Lora and Missie) they think they are grown up.  And Shailynn and Matt think they're almost grown at 5 & 7, so I guess it's just a given for the "older" kids.  Missie, Wil, Shailynn & Matt will be here a week before Clif and Lora.  We're going to have all four of grandbabies for 5 days while Chris & Mandy go on vacation.  I love to watch the four grandbabies playing.  It's amazing to me how much they love being together, no more than they've got to be in their short lives.  I hope that all of our grandchildren have the opportunity to be part of a close family, in their immediate families and their extended families.  I believe that a lot of our societal problems are because of the breakdown of the family unit.  Anyway, I'm so happy to have them all here again, even for a little while. 

We went to the Loman family reunion today.  Not as many there as usually are.  But, boy, do we have the kiddos.  And they all get along pretty well, too.  I think kids have a language all their own. 

Well, I'm exhausted, so I'm going to cut this off now and relax for a little while.  Hopefully, I will not take so long to post again.  Thanks to everybody who has stopped by to say hi.  I enjoy your visits and your comments.

Oh, my goodness!  I almost forgot.  Ronnie and I have been married 35 years today.  And they said it wouldn't last.

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Is life really just a reality game?  Are we just finding out who gets to hold on for another week?  I am almost convinced that's it because otherwise you'd think, with experience, life would get easier.  Missie said the other night, as we visited on the phone, that surely there was a reality show we could come up with.  I think we're living it.  The obstacles keep coming and we just have to find a way to push on through to the next.  I think I'll DVR life, then, because I don't want to know who wins and who loses yet.

My blood sugar has been out of control this week and no matter what I  have not been able to bring it down to normal.  Called the doctor yesterday and she thinks I am probably fighting a sinus infection which would explain why my sugars are wacky.  So, tonight, I shot  10u of Byetta instead of 5 and 15u of insulin and took extra glucophage.  Guess what?  It's coming down.  Aggressiveness.  That's what I have to learn about this game. Be aggressive. 

I watched the girls for a little while today.  They were exceptionally good after I got Abby down for a nap.   She has this panicky little cry that takes me totally offguard and makes me panic.  It's so pathetic.  All she wanted was to go to sleep.  Gosh.  That's what she should have said right away and I could have kept her from suffering so.  But when she woke up she was in a really good mood and I enjoyed playing with them.  I promised Audrey I'd come back to get her after the ballgame, but I felt really sick and laid down for a little while and missed her.  I hope she forgot.  But I doubt it.  She doesn't forget anything.

The cowboys lost a heartbreaker tonight to Texas.  But, hey, they did really well, and I'm sure it hurt them more than me.  I hate it when people act like they make mistakes on purpose or they're not paying attention to what they're doing.  Hey, who has the most to gain and who has the most to lose.  Not us, as fans, unless it's braggin' rights we're looking for.  People who don't understand how bad it hurts to work as hard as you can and lose are people who, apparently, never played competition sports.  Or maybe they were too competitive.  I don't know.  I just know that nobody wants to make a fool out of themselves at their game.  Now.  That I've said my peace.  Let's get on with it.  Time for baseball!!!!

It is very quiet at our house tonight.  And I've had time to thin down my 300+ emails to 0, so I'm just sitting here waiting on one.  And, of course, they're not. 

Clif and Lora came in Wednesday morning and we've had a wonderfully busy week trying to spend every waking moment and some very sleepy moments together.  Lora is staying with her folks until Thursday evening, but Clif left today since his next semester starts Monday.  It was so hard to see him leave...especially by himself.  But, I'll check with him in a few minutes because he should be about there.

Audrey's 2nd birthday party was today at 2:00.  Mama, Daddy, Tayler and Lanea came for it.  Clif came over about 10:00 so he could spend some more time with them, however, Mama got sick on the way here, so it took them a little longer and they didn't get to spend much time together after all.  I hate having our family going so many different directions, so far away.  God has done a very good job of trying to get me used to it, I think, but my heart is not cooperating nor learning quickly enough. Ron has gone to bed, Audrey has come for her nightly visit and gone home to go night-night.  Wil went to bed early, also, so it's very, very quiet and I think about how many more times like this I will have in years to come.  The longer we are all apart, the easier it will be to be apart.  Even my precious grandbabies who can give the best, most wonderful, unconditional love, will find other things and people to fill their time and their interests, and talking to or coming to see Nana and Papa Ronnie won't be all that enticing.  As a matter of fact, there will be a time when they have to be made to visit us.  Oh, well, I guess we'll find something to fill our time.  Maybe we'll have more kids! 
Clif's home safe!  Whew! One more time.
Thank you, God.

What a surprise we had this week.  Clif called Tuesday night to say he and Lora were coming home for a visit.  Lora's grandfather is critically ill and she wanted to come in to see him.  I know how scarey and frustrating it is to be so far from home and have loved ones so very ill.  Lora has been on sickleave from work and Clif is on a semester break, so they were able to take off and come home.  They got into McAlester about 4:00 am Wednesday.  They went by the hospital to see Lora's grandfather and she stayed with her mom and dad there while Clif came to our house.  We surprised my mom and dad with a visit.  They love our kids so much and it was a wonderful surprise for them to see him with no prior warning!  We took Audrey with us so they really had a fun day.  However, Clif was running on low energy since he drove all night and hadn't been to bed yet.  Mandy and Chris picked up chicken and fixins for supper, so we had dinner and then Clif konked out.  He said he didn't wake up until his alarm went off this morning.  The visit was definitely a short, but sweet one!  Now, when we get to see Missie and her family later on this month, it will have been a great month.