Southern Porch Extension

[Allison]

So Urbana was AMAZING! As I said to Amy in an e-mail and on my Facebook page, you're going to have to give me more time to process, reflect, and debrief and what not before I can give you a better answer than that. I am in a post-Urbana stupor, and can barely form coherent thoughts! I'm sure Shann's son is the same way about now. There is just SO much to process. It's going to be hard to go back to the "real world" of work tomorrow!

[Joanney]

Since I was on the list of MIA, I should post and let you all know that I am alive and well and have survived the holidays. My December in general was a whirlwind; the busyness of working an extra job that ended up almost full-time instead of only a few nights a week, along with my two regular part-time jobs with the school district; and finishing the semester at school, and preparing for the holidays, plus just not always feeling well (mostly the result of anemia). Also, I had about $1100 in van repairs in December. The church paid for $500 of it for me, and the rest needs to come out of yesterday's paycheck. It needed a new head casket and a new radiator.

My real break for the holiday was this last weekend. I worked for the before and after school program on Dec 26 and 27, and for Toys R Us until 7 AM on Christmas Eve, so this was my only real break. We went to Iowa for Christmas and I had a great time with my sisters and their families (and my brother Chris and his son.) We did white elephant gifts -- only things you already had in your house and nothing bought new. I got some of my niece's old scrapbooking supplies. This after spending a few hours in my sister's craft room the night before cutting out die cuts to use towards making cards.

Well, Greg wants a haircut before his dad gets here to pick them up, so gotta go.

[Laurie]

Edy, thanks for your kind words.

Allison, I look forward to hearing about Urbana. Sounds like it was a wonderful experience. How did you manage with your hip?

Joanney, nice to see you check in. I hope all of those extra work hours are giving you a financial boost - though I realize the van repairs were a pretty hefty unexpected expense. How is it going with your tenant? When will you have your surgery?

Carol e-mailed to say she wasn't able to log in to the porch, but she wanted you to know she's really sorry to hear so many are going through so many difficulties and she's praying for everyone.

[Carole L]

Good morning all.

We've been enjoying our visit to Texas. Spent the first several days with the grands and now are back in Austin with good friends. Had a fun New Years eve with the Empty Nesters group we hung with when we lived here. Bill has been busy helping our friend do some work on his house. They are putting shelves in the garage, so it can be organized. They would like to actually be able to put the car in the garage, what a concept! Now that Jo is a little more mobile (out of her wheel chair and using a walker) they want her to be able to get in and out of the car while avoiding the weather.

We will be heading home tomorrow. We are wondering what we will find when we get there. We dug out of the snow and left. As far as we know, our house never lost power, tho most of our neighborhood did. There were over 200,000 without power due to the heavy snow and ice. It came down so fast that it broke tree limbs and downed power lines everywhere. In fact, it took us 20 minutes to make it three blocks out of our neighborhood--even tho we can see the main street from our house--because we had to zig-zag around downed lines and branches. There was hardly a house that we drove past that didn't have tree branches, or even whole trees, lying in the yard.

It will be good to get home, my hips miss my bed. We have one of those beds that "adjust" hospital style, plus the mattress has a temperpedic top. My hips don't like hard mattresses. But I am thankful for the guest beds, regardless of the hardness, because they allow us to visit family and friends.

Wishing everybody a blessed New Year!

[Verna]

So good to hear from my friends. I feel like I'm coming out of a tunnel, after having spent hours and hours, working at editing for a friend's business. This doesn't pay as much as subbing, but I don't have to leave home or make anyone behave! (although where I sub, the students are remarkably kind most of the time.)

Mariane, I'm sorry for the turmoil you went through. I knew something was wrong and have prayed for you. Wasn't it good to know though, when you were concerned about a possible imminent death, your only concerns were earthly ones; your home in heaven is secure. Bless you, my friend!
I know how frightened John must have been.

Don, I'm sorry for your stressful days, and I can easily see how your nerves might get the best of you. And I must admit--sometimes when Leon says, "I heard you talking in there; where you on the phone," I just tell him I was talking to me!

Edy, thank you for the recipe and the smile. I can just see your pretty fingernails!

Joanney, I hope this will be a specially good year for you--it's time!

Allison, I'm so glad you had a grand time at Urbana. It's great to have your "spiritual batteries" recharged.

Carole, I'm glad you had a good Christmas, and I understand completely about how good it is to get back to your own "nest" and your own bed.

Laurie, may God send you unanticipated special blessings for this New Year, with only the best memories of your dad to warm you.

Carol, I'm praying this will be a better year, physically, for you, and you'll grow stronger physically and more able to enjoy your family.

We, too, missed the ball drop at 12:00 to usher in the New Year, but it came in just fine, anyway. We are excitedly looking forward to a new baby girl and baby boy from our granddaughters in March to make this a bright year.

[forHIM]

Hello to all and yes . . . I too have been MIA . . . about two weeks before Christmas I feel and fractured a small bone in my lower back . . . it was very painful and sitting or bending over is a real killer . . . so I have not been too active anywhere.

I haven't even been to the porch to see what you all have been up to for over a month. So I haven't a clue how any of you are doing but, I do have most of you on my continue to pray for list.

I am keeping busy with my writing and got a Kindle Paper White for my birthday and have been doing a lot of reading. Other than that it's cold and dark here in my neck of the woods.

Hopefully in the next week or so I will be all mended up and resume a more normal life . . . whatever that is . . . until then you be good to each other!

Love and hugs

[gwenllian]

Hi Porch People!
Is my rocker still available?

I've been catching up, reading the last few pages that I've missed in the past few weeks and I'm very dismayed and saddened to see how many of you have been suffering such hardships over the Christmas season. I pray that our Lord will reach down His healing hand and touch everyone where it's needed, in body, mind and spirit. Amen.

Dear Don, I don't know your situation as well as most, thanks for the explanation about Carol. May God continue to strengthen and guide you. My heart goes out to you. May God bless and comfort you both.

Mariane, what a miserable way to spend Christmas day! I pray that the Lord will compensate you with many days of contentment throughout 2013! Starting now! I was also tying up loose ends towards the end of the year because of a series of heart attacks that threatened to carry me off; however I'm still here!

Allison, I hope you've recovered somewhat from your fall and that the pain has eased up by now. There's nothing quite as debilitating as a painful back, it seems to inhibit just about everything you try to do! Take it easy and give it a chance to heal up properly.

Laurie, I can imagine how you feel about your Dad - I cried for months after my Dad passed on. Thank God the grief does ease in time, then the memories become comfort instead of pain.

To everyone who worked so hard over the Christmas / New Year season, I hope you're able to have a bit of a rest before being hurled into the new year!

To everyone on the Porch - May the Lord bless and prosper you in every way in 2013!

Much love,
Gwen

[Allison]

Actually, my problem has been hip pain, and I'm having hip replacement surgery on Feb. 13th.

[Ms. Barbie]

Wow Allison, I did not know that you actually had a surgery date planned! I pray it goes well and you have a rapid recovery!

[gwenllian]

So sorry, Allison! It's Debbie who fell and hurt her back. I naturally read about your hip op too, but got mixed up while I was writing.

I've heard about a number of people who have had hip replacements, and they say their lives have improved tremendously after the operation. The Queen Mother had both done, and continued mobile for nearly 100 yrs! Good Heavens!

I pray that your procedure will go smoothly and your recovery will be speedy and complete.
Sorry again about the slip-up.

[Allison]

So sorry, Allison! It's Debbie who fell and hurt her back. I naturally read about your hip op too, but got mixed up while I was writing.

I've heard about a number of people who have had hip replacements, and they say their lives have improved tremendously after the operation. The Queen Mother had both done, and continued mobile for nearly 100 yrs! Good Heavens!

I pray that your procedure will go smoothly and your recovery will be speedy and complete.
Sorry again about the slip-up.

Oh, no apology needed. Just wanted to clarify. That's all.

[Verna]

Allison, your youth is definitely in your favor. Our son had hip replacement surgery this previous year, and he got along very, very well. I pray you will, too.

Hi Gwen--always welcome!

[Edy]

Allison, as a former orthopedic nurse, I have to tell you about one of my patients. She never took a single pain med after her hip replacement! I kept asking her if she couldn't use something for pain. She continued to reply that no she didn't need it. Incredulous, I asked her, "Aren't you having any pain?" To which she responded, "Oh, yes, but no where near as bad as the arthritis pain I had before surgery!"

She was a one in a million sweetheart! A lovely Norwegian-heritage lady who informed me that the reason Scandinavians got arthritis was because they ate too much white food - lutefisk, lefse, rommegrot, etc!

[BeachGrandma]

My oldest sister was 80 when she had her hip replaced. She was a good patient, did everything the doctor recommended, faithfully attended each physical therapy session and got along wonderfully. Every year there are improvements to the procedure and I'll be praying along with the others that you heal quickly with no problems whatsoever.

God didn't ask for my suggestions when He created our very complex bodies but if He had, I would have recommended that He leave printed instructions in a handy little pouch attached to our umbilical cord at birth. This would permit us to easily remove the worn-out part at home, have a family member seal it in a germ-free Ziplock bag and deliver it to the surgeon who could repair it the same day and have it returned to us for easy reinstallation.

I guess it's too late to make that suggestion.

[BeachGrandma]

P.S. to Edy: Is "rommegrot" related in any way to "rotgut?"

On another subject, have you given any thought to getting a flu shot? Take a look at this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... worse.html