Yard Work Ugh!

When we bought our home eleven years ago the yard is what excited me.  I could envision tons of grandchildren playing in our backyard.  We had two beautiful silver leaf maples, a large cypress, a magnolia that was kind of puny and wasn't doing well, and an oak that was struggling.  The first year in the house the two maples died!  I called an arborist and he said I had done nothing wrong, but that silver leaf maples are very short lived trees.  :(  A few years ago we had to redo the sewer line in the back yard and that took out the magnolia.  The last couple of years have been drought conditions here and I realized this year the cypress was gone.

So far I have one grandchild and a huge yard and a lot of yard work to do.  What was I thinking?  I don't like yard work.

A couple of years ago we replaced the trim and soffits on the house and had to remove two large crepe myrtles in the front and now we have these baby crepe myrtles coming up in huge mounds all over the front flower bed.  I spent the better part of this morning out on my knees trying to clip them back.  I wore myself out and so I'll have to do  more another day.

A great day in the neighborhood

Today was awesome.  I started out this morning going to the gym with my best friend forever and then went with two ladies from my neighborhood and one of their friends to North Haven Gardens.

I found a succulent I liked and a couple of small annuals, but as we were leaving I spotted a statuary of a little Yorkie.  I had one of my favorite dogs die about a year and a half ago, Benson, and he is buried in my backyard.  I bought the statuary to put over his grave.  I am thrilled.

After our outing we stopped at Great Harvest Bread Company for lunch.  We had a great time and just sat around the table and talked.  I ate a yummy BLT and just had fun.

When I got home we took my grandson over to a friend's house and let him jump on the trampoline and play on their swing for a while.

Today was just an all out good day.

I hate coming up with these headers

Do I really have to have a title for each post?  That's the hardest part of blogging for me.  I just want to write what's going on or what I'm thinking.

I slept later than I should have this morning.  I just overdid it yesterday.  I should no better.  The house needs to be cleaned.  I did manage to get the floor mopped.  I usually use Spic and Span but am out so used vinegar and water today. Vinegar seems to do a fair job of getting it done.

Lots more to get done though.

I'm sitting in my recliner typing next to me dialysis machine.  I've been doing home dialysis for nearly four years now.  I feel so grateful not to have to go in center to do my treatments.  There are times when I would just like to skip  - I've done it a couple of times but know I'm hurting myself when I do.  Life feels so much better for me after doing treatment at home.  I can't understand why more people aren't aware that home hemodialysis is an option.  When I've been hospitalized the medical staff is surprised I have it for an option.

My sister, my son, and I all have polycistic kidney disease.  My mother had the disease also.  Its a genetic condition and is kinder than most kidney disease.  Mine didn't really start causing problems until I was in my 50's.  I was diagnosed with the condition in my late 30's. There are different variations of the condition and the disease progresses differently with everyone.  My mother's was very aggressive.  She had a transplant in her late 30's and died when she was 40.

I've chosen not to try for a transplant.  My sister has decided that is what she wants.  She is starting her process towards transplant.  I was unlucky enough to get several bouts of sepsis in a one year period and so they would require my kidneys removed before they would even put me on the transplant list.

I am grateful to be alive today.  If I'd had problems earlier in life the options I have now would not have been available to me.  When my mother was on dialysis in the 60's there were few dialysis machines available and you had to go before a committee to qualify to do dialysis.  If you didn't match the criteria, you were just left to die.

Mother started dialysis in 1965.  I never saw the machine she used, but my guess would be that it would have been very much like this one that they used in the Cleveland Clinic around the same time.

Things are so much different now.  My machine is much smaller.  It weighs about 75 pounds and is portable.  Many travel with their machines.











Went to a Family History Consultant Training meeting tonight.  There are a lot of changes coming with FamilySearch, good changes.  Already we are able to add pictures, but we will soon be able to add stories and view the family tree with a fan chart.  They are also changing the icon.  I'm an older lady and like the current icon.  The new one is trendy and youthful. I think the new logo will reflect the focus on adding pictures and stories.  What do you think?

Too much to do and so little time

" Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter."  Dieter F Uctdorf,   October 2008.


I've never considered myself the creative type.  I try to grow flowers every year but the blasted Texas heat defeats me every time.  When I tried to figure out the color to paint my walls in my home I went with bland cream, (but I did paint one wall red).  I've said I didn't have an ounce of creative given to me. 


 This year though I've decided to try and learn to crochet; so far I've gotten the single, half, and double crochet down.  I keep trying.




One of my frustrations in life is my genealogy.  I've been working on it forever and get discouraged because of my brick walls.  So if anyone reading this knows anything about a John Stewart born in 1790 in Virginia, please let me know and help me break my brick wall.  

The great joy in my life is my family.  I have learned that being a grandmother is about as good as it gets though.  My little grandson has taken my heart.  He's fourteen months now and keeps me busy.  He's fun to be with and is as good as it gets.

Last week we went around and took pictures.  My sister's grandson was doing a Flat Stanley project for school and so sent it to me.  We went around and took pictures with Flat Stanley.  It was a great day.