December Photo A Day, Day 2 - Where I Stood

View from my grandparents' back porch

A day late! Oh, challenges challenge me...

I took this picture in July, I think. This is a picture I took from where I was standing on my grandpa's back porch.

On the right you can see a very small part of my grandma's rock collection...she has rocks lined up like that around both sides of the backyard fence, and both sides of the garage, and both sides of the shed. She had a crazy thing for rocks - everywhere she went, she came back with rocks. Even from places where you weren't supposed to get rocks from. Think Painted Desert.

Those are her flowers on the left, below them is a stone that says Grandma's Garden.

That swingset's been there since I was little. My grandpa made it. It's set into the ground in concrete, so I guess it'll be there forever.

There used to be a huge oak tree in that space where that water thing is now.

We've held several wedding receptions in this backyard.

Over to the left, out of view of the camera, is my mom's backyard. 

Even though I live a few miles away now, I consider both of these houses my real home.

39 Songs in 30 Days, Day 7 - A song that reminds you of a certain event

My grandparent's farm, Green County, KY

When my grandpa decided that he could no longer keep up my grandparent's second property, a 60+ woodland paradise in Central Kentucky, we were all devastated. 

On our last Labor Day there, I took a kind of farewell journey through the woods with my camera, taking pictures of every magical thing I loved. It's the only time I've ever felt safe walking in the woods by myself...this was OUR land.

Most of what we called 'the farm' was really forest, with streams of water running through it, beautiful silent groves appearing in it from out of nowhere, and, in the morning, you could spot deer emerging from it through the window of the cabin.

But the previous owners of the property had inexplicably cleared an area in the middle of the forest, maybe to build a house...or a baseball field?

Regardless, it had its own beauty, and I took pictures of the field just as I had everything else.

Every time I hear 'Fields of Gold', I remember that last beautiful day.

'Fields of Gold'
Written by Sting
Performed by Eva Cassidy

30 Songs in 30 Days, Day 5 - A song that reminds you of someone

McHargue's Mill - London, KY

(That's Chelsea waving from inside the cabin)

Man, this 30 Day Song Challenge has quickly grown into a Commitment, and I hate Commitments!

At first it's all fun and games, your favorite this, happy that, but all of a sudden we're down to the nitty gritty, and I want, no I NEED a month or two to procrastinate about this!

So I guess it's not that I don't like Commitments...I just like to think about things in my own time.

Dwayne and I HAVE been together for more than 17 years, right?! Just, you know, not married, yet. :)

I have been committed to this blog since 2004, right?! With a whole 356 posts to show for it, LOLOLOL!!!!

Sorry, just venting. I always keep my Commitments when I am dumb enough to make them.

When my grandparents first got married, my grandpa had a huge painting commissioned of my grandmother sitting on the wall above the Little Laurel River at McHargue's Mill (pictured above) in Levi Jackson State Park in London, KY. 

My grandpa understood my grandma and her love for Laurel County. He was truly my grandma's soul mate. They were each other's best friend, and they went everywhere together.

So, Moma and Popa came back one day from...somewhere, some bluegrass festival, or maybe Renfro Valley, talking about a new duo they'd heard of called Dailey and Vincent, and a song they sang called By The Mark.

They made us sit in the family room while they played it for us, over and over.

Every time we visited, they played it for us.

My grandparents had sort of figured out CDs, but they didn't know about copying them. They bought at least five copies of the same CD...one for the truck, one for the van, one for the living room, one for upstairs, one for downstairs...

Jamie Dailey & Darrin Vincent, of course, became a big huge name in bluegrass circles, and my grandparents went to every show they could. The last show they went to, Moma was pretty sick from the chemo, and Jamie & Darrin, who by now recognized Moma and Popa the Super-Fans, were so sweet to her...our whole family is eternally in their debt.

By The Mark, 

written by Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, 

performed by Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent

Good news and alternate news...

Yesterday was both much better than I expected, in some ways...but the news we got from the doctor wasn't as glowing as I wanted!
Her surgery was at the Children's Hospital, which we've never been to before...and now I refuse to go anywhere else!  Is is made especially for children, and it's all about making them comfortable, easing their fears, etc.  It was perfect!  The last time she had to get an IV she cried and cried...but yesterday, she barely knew it was happening, the RN doing it was so good.  AND they let her take Purr (stuffed kitty) back into surgery with her...they even gave Purr a matching hospital bracelet to go on her paw, with her name on it!  My daughter was thrilled by that one...
The doctor came out after the surgery and let us know that there were layers of layers of gunk that she hadn't expected...and that she found a tiny hole on the edge of the graft (that had repaired the previous hole)...and lots of granulation tissue (whatever that is, I didn't think to ask so now I'll have to remember to ask at the follow-up appointment!).  As she's not sure that the infection's completely gone, C will have to take eardrops for five more days, and oral medicine for another week, and then go back in for a checkup, and then they'll see if the tiny hole is still there...and if it is, she may need additional surgery to repair that.
And wow, we were NOT expecting to hear 'additional surgery' yesterday, that really bummed us out for a while...
So then we brought her home and she laid in bed for the rest of the day and we waited on her hand and foot, because the nurses at the hospital told her that we would (Thanks, nurses, I appreciate that! LOL)...
At the hospital, a whole troop of our family was there, me, and D, my mom, and my grandparents, and our preacher from church...
And when we got home, phone calls from my brother, my aunt, and her friends, checking on her...
And a balloon bouquet from my friends at work arrived at the door for her - that was thrilling!  She also came out of this with the new 'Incredibles' DVD (D bought that for her...).
I'm very grateful to have such a support system of people who love my daughter, it means so much to me.
p.s. As for how she's doing now...she was very pale the rest of the day...so pale it really had us worried and we kept trying to push food down here so as to get our rosy-cheeked girl back...she cried and cried last night with the eardrops, which the doctor had told us to expect they would sting a little...she's also having some bloody drainage which really freaked her out but she's a lot better now after I talked her down...this morning she was MUCH better, still a little wobbly-legged but back to rosy cheeks, no drainage, no fever, and so I sent her off to school.  She's doing great!

Will my journal's alerts ever work again? I think not...

…But that’s okay! Once, a long time ago (last year), there was life for me before I knew about alerts…I can do it again…I can! J
Happy Birthday, me…
I’m still feeling very loved and blessed today…even though my family celebrated my birthday with a party on Saturday (see previous), today I still got phone calls and emails from my parents, my grandparents, my aunts, my friends…
Today my co-workers threw me a party, brought me a cake…my boss bought me flowers…
My mom, my aunt, and my daughter took me out to dinner today…my dad is coming into town and will take me out tomorrow…and D and I will be going out for my birthday this coming up Saturday night…I think I’ve stretched my birthday to last for about a week, this way! LOL
I know there will be times in the future when I’ll feel unlucky and unloved…but in reality, what I have is rare and wonderful, and I know it.
EAR UPDATE: I took my daughter to the ENT again today…it’s not better, of course…but it is less swollen than it was…the doctor vacuumed out her ear again (OH MY GOSH, YOU CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT THAT WAS LIKE!)…She will be on antibiotic eardrops now for two more weeks (I have heard this entire script before, but it SOUNDS better, somehow, coming from the ENT)…and when we go back in two weeks, they will most likely have to put her to sleep under anesthesia so they can get a look at her eardrum, her ear is still in such bad shape, they can’t get a good look at it. (sigh)
My birthday gift to myself? I’m taking the day off tomorrow. I don’t know why I didn’t take my actual birthday off today…I think it’s because I knew my co-workers were already planning a party for me and I didn’t want to disappoint them…
My big plans for my day off tomorrow, before I pick up my daughter from school and we go out to eat with my dad?
SLEEP! I am going to get up, take my daughter to school, come back home, turn on TNT, and nap all day to the soothing sounds of Angel, Charmed, ER, and Judging Amy, and I’m not going to feel guilty about it…sleep sleep sleep, here I come!
One last thing…
I think that I’m so tired today, the enormity of being 32 for the first time hasn’t hit me yet…how can I be 32? It seems like just yesterday that I was 31…
I’m feeling loved and blessed and tired and overwhelmed…I’m feeling like there’s something I’m supposed to do now that I’m 32, that’s my special responsibility…maybe we’re back to LIVING!

Last day...

It's my last day of work until 2005...yay!  I've been waiting for this day since...um...July, I think, when I used up the last of my vacation days...they start all over again in January.
How's this for a New Year Resolution?  I WILL NOT USE ALL MY DAYS TOO QUICKLY!
I have a real problem...it's called, if I have a day off available, I WILL USE IT! What else is it for!? LOL...
So, off to work I go...last night when I came home, I got stuck coming into my driveway...it's been above freezing and melting the foot of snow which isn't as good as it sounds, because now there's no traction, hence, my getting stuck...
I ended up parking half in my grandparent's driveway and half on the sidewalk, that's as far as I could go, so hopefully I won't get stuck trying to get out today...
HI HO!

Goodbye, farm

Goodbye, place of good memories...goodbye, safe haven...goodbye, perfect place for midnight stargazing.
We went down to my grandparents' farm today for a Labor Day picnic and they broke the news to us - they're putting the farm up for sale.
(When we got down there, everyone was outside, enjoying the day...all except for my daughter who had gone down there with them last night.  Where was she?  She's my daughter, of course - inside the house, reading a book, soaking up the air conditioning!)
As my mother so gracefully put it, my grandparents are not getting any younger, and they just can't keep up two places anymore.  I just wish I had the money to buy it from them.  What really breaks my heart is the 65 acres of woodland they have...because no doubt whoever buys it will not see it as 65 acres of beautiful untouched forest...they'll only see the value of the woods as potential lumber.
I'll miss seeing my grandpa as king of all this land...I'll miss seeing deer come right up to the back porch at dusk and dawn...I'll miss the black sky and getting to see millions of stars and the Milky Way, things that my orange-horizoned city never lets me see...
I'll miss the particular grove in the woods that, for some reason, has a lot of evergreen trees and that soft, springy moss that grows beneath, it's the only place like that in the woods and so is very special...I'll miss the field in the clearing that some previous owners made, about which I alternate fantasizing about the house that I would build there, or the baseball field it would be perfect for...
I'll miss having a place to run to when life gets too overwhelming.
I'm so thankful that I knew the place, and I'm thankful for the peace it's given me.
Field of Dreams:

Woo hoo! It's Sunday...

And my daughter just left town with my grandparents to spend the night at their farm -
Free time! Free time! Whatever will I do?
I’m thinking that maybe I’ll start cataloging my books and weeding some out of my bookshelves to make room for the piles of books on my desk and on the floor. I have to do this every so often because I just don’t have enough room, and I hate it! I don’t want to part with ANY of them…
I’m also thinking maybe I’ll try to do the weekend assignment for a change – the problem is that all my favorite pictures are of my daughter, and I just don’t feel comfortable right now posting her picture, so I’ll have to find something else I like…we’ll see…
I just saw the movie ‘Love Actually’, and it is wonderful.
Hey! My daughter’s gone, and I can watch whatever I want on TV, or take a nap, or go out for a jog…wait, I can go out, period, wherever I want…
I just don’t know what to do with myself, it’s like the reverse of when you were a teenager and your parents went out of town (LOL)…
I’m off now, to try and be irresponsible for a few minutes, it’ll be hard but I’ll give it my best shot!
***
p.s.  D's birthday went very well...apparently it doesn't matter what I get him, he loves it, and me, regardless.  :)

There's a spider in the corner and I'm afraid...

We're at a standoff right now.
My nephew spent the night Friday night and we had great fun.  Unfortunately, he didn't pester my daughter as much as usual...they actually got along for once.  It was not nearly as entertaining (LOL!).
We ventured out to the State Fair again last night, this time to see a free concert. 
Some background:
1.  I love free concerts at the fair.  They're held in the old Cardinal Stadium, always at eight p.m. as the sun goes down...
2.  My grandparents (they do figure into this story) went to three concerts this week.  All country music concerts.  You have never seen a bigger country music fan in the world than my grandmother.  I cannot stress this enough.  And let's emphasize the word 'fan' here, as in 'fanatic'.  She is one of those crazy people who duck under barricades and goes knocking on George Jones's front door.  My heroic grandfather is not a fanatic...he's a mere fan...but in love with my grandmother so he always goes with her!
So we get to the fairgrounds, traipse inside and sit down, and I remember that my grandparents are supposed to be there.  I told D that I knew where they would be sitting - guaranteed, down in the first section, and even though it might be reserved seating, that's still where they would be.
I called my grandma's cell phone, and sure enough, that's where they were...she pointed at landmarks for me to find them by, I located them way down there, my grandma already making people move over so we could sit with them (my grandma is a force to be reckoned with, believe me).
So this is how D and I came to be on a kind of double date with my grandparents (aged 74 and 70, though you wouldn't have known it by the way they acted at this concert!).
So, two things I'll always remember about this concert:
First, I'll always remember how thankful I was to be standing there having fun with my grandparents...
Secondly, I'll always remember how I went into a concert not really knowing anything about RANDY TRAVIS, except that I knew he was a legend and so I wanted to see him...and went away from the concert a duly minted Randy Travis fan and determined to learn the words to his songs so that next time I see him in concert I can sing along like everyone else was.
I mean, WOW!, talk about putting on a great show.  Who knew?  I guess he's learned something in his 20+ years of touring...
I love when concerts surprise you. 

Typhoon? Tropical Storm? I do live in Kentucky, right?

This may sound redundant, but the weather keeps happening:
My daughter's softball game was at 6:30 this evening, about 45 minutes away in another county.  When it was over, we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants down on the river for dinner.  My grandparents decided to go straight home...my boyfriend didn't go to the game because he had to work late...my daughter and I had gone with my mom since I try not to drive anymore, ever (and it's a good thing I wasn't driving for this...).
We take the turn onto River Road, happily oblivious to the darkening sky, admiring the trees and the water and the houses and the boats, going on our way...
And then, the wind picks up and I see leaves and twigs flying around in the air above us.  Immediately, I knew. 
We kept our calm for a few seconds, kept driving, until suddenly we were in a bad remake of the movie "Twister", only we would have to replace the tornadoes with a hurricane.
The problems with driving on River Road in bad weather are:
1. The road is, amazingly enough, right next to the really, really big Ohio River.
2. It is lined with lots of trees.
3. There are no commercial businesses at which to stop for help.  It's mainly private property, boat docks, and country clubs.
These things are not necessarily bad things, unless you happen to be driving along it when the worst storm in 30 years comes out of nowhere, and there you are.
The wind slammed into us at 80 miles per hour, thanks to the fact that it was coming down from Indiana and had picked up speed going across the really big river.  The trees bent sideways and, I swear, the river looked like the pictures you see of beaches during hurricanes...it was blowing in waves over the docks.
The trees started falling down.  Remember the movie "Twister"?  We reenacted it in the car.  My mom driving, me yelling "Left!", "Right!", "Tree!"...and my mom even said at one point, completely without irony and with total fear, "We have to get offthis road."
I really thought, for a while there, that we were not going to make it home.  It's probably moved to the top of the list of the most terrifying things I've ever experienced.  Especially because my daughter was in the car...I just knew we were going to either get crushed by a tree, or be blown off the road. 
And we were just lucky, because some cars were.
When we were both completely panicked and sure we were going to die because we didn't know where to go to get away from the falling trees, I remembered to call my boyfriend, because he knows everything (well, about that area at least, since he works down there)...he directed me to the expressway, where the rain was falling in sheets and we couldn't see and the leaves and twigs were still flying through the air and everyone else on the road had pulled over under the overpasses...except us, of course, because after the terrifying experience we had on River Road, we were in complete panic, running mode.
When we finally made it home, every channel was covering the unexpected fury of this storm.  The final tallies:
Hundreds and hundreds of trees down, including over 100 down on River Road itself, and over 100,000 people in the area without power, the worst outage since the F5 tornado of 1974. 
All I could do when we got safely inside the house was cling to my daughter and thank God that we were alive, with the images in my head of all those falling trees that managed to miss us.
Note: It's starting to rain again and I see lightning through the window, so I guess I'll shut down for the night while I still have power.
Life tastes better, right now...

I was going to post the moon, but...

I can't seem to get my pictures to work.  Maybe next time...
My grandparents went to Derby Dinner for their anniversary, to see 'Guys and Dolls'.  I just love the fact that they're 74 and 70 years old and they're still going out on dates!
I'm getting ready to go to bed, and I'm sooo tired and my body just aches, when in comes my daughter, convinced someone is breaking into the house.  I go check...no, no one is breaking in!  She heard the sound of the clothes dryer.  But it's all over by this point, and she wants to sleep in my bed tonight.
(groan)
There goes my sleep!  It's hard to sleep when you're hanging for dear life on the side of the bed while your kid is sprawled horizontally over the whole bed.  Usually, I bravely lie down, go to sleep for about 15 minutes, wake up when she shoves me off the bed, climb back up and sleep for another 15 minutes, wake up when she shoves me off, etc...until finally about 4 a.m. I wake up enough to realize that it isn't working, and I go either to her room to lie down, or to the couch.
But there's no way in the world I would ever refuse to let her sleep in here, because I know one day soon she's going to turn into a teen and start acting like she doesn't need me anymore, and I'll be, "Hey, where'd you go?...Come back, come back!".