Dad's Morning Coffee

The picture is taken, it is matted and framed and now hanging in a Coffee Shop in downtown Clare. My original intent, when I knew this assignment was to be about "Coffee" was to have it be about my Dad's Coffee,and have steam rising from the cup. However, at almost 90 degrees that day in my apartment, no steam would rise. (I found out later that had I put an ice cube in it, it would have happened...). I also ended up using Sepia tones for the picture. Because of the length of Dad's life, it just seemed to go with the whole concept, better.

This is scene I witnessed every morning from the time I was a young child right though the end of my father's life; down to the teaspoon sitting beside his cup on a napkin or folded piece of paper towel.

It is amazing to me, the way one's life continues to make an impact on other lives, even after they are "gone"~!

Here's to you, Dad; drink up!

Art 110.P01 (Which stands for Basic Photography)

I decided I wanted to take a basic Photography class while I was attending school. It has been a quick CRASH COURSE~!!! (16 -wk class crammed into 6 weeks!) BUT, I have learned lots and I love it. This week we had to bring in a "Personal Profile" picture. Here is mine; I MAY change it to get a better shot - just because I can for the Final assignment. That was our mid-term picture assignment. This coming week (our last week of class, already!) I have to take a picture that says "Coffee" to me. Why? Because, when our Professor saw that we were "getting it" from the class, he went to a funky coffee house in Clare, Michigan and asked if he could display his student's photography for a month. Their Motto is: "We brew Art and Coffee". Therefore, we have to have our self-portrait with a paragraph about who we are, mounted on foam board (just a 4x6 photo) and next to it, will be our Matted and Framed 8x12 Coffee picture~!!! I'm really psyched about this assignment. However, I do wish so badly that I had one of Dad's cool coffee mugs AND one or two or three of his old Stainless Steel thermoses. My dad drank a LOT of coffee and HOT~! That is why my picture will have steam rising from the cup of coffee - for sure. People always said his throat must have been calloused because he drank it so hot for years!

Now, the part the really got me was when the Professor told us the Motto of the shop... "We brew ART and coffee"~! NO PUN INTENDED!!!!

School at 54~!

I just completed my first week at school. I decided to get some type of "Certification" that was current, because jobs are so hard to find and I need to supplement my income. Fortunately, there was 1 opening in the Certified Pharmacy Tech program at Mid Michigan Community College - here in Mt. Pleasant.

I decided, however, that I wanted a few other classes than just the ones for that program. So, I am taking 3 classes during the Spring/Summer session. I have a Computer Class, a Speech Class, and a Photography Class.

My brain kind of feels like it is 'mush' and on "information overload", but this, too, will pass~! (At least I HOPE so!) I'm really thankful for a long Holiday week-end.

I am thoroughly enjoying all the new people I am meeting and inter-acting with during classes, too. :)

The Phenomenon of Spring

It happened again~! One day after the snow is finally gone and you are "waiting" for those special signs of Spring, there it is - right in front of your eyes. The Forsythia has bloomed~! I was taking my trash out yesterday and suddenly I noticed that the bushes beside the trash bin were in full bloom.

This is how the event used to be every year: I would see the bushes in bloom. I'd drive over to my mom and dad's house, who's yard included a large Forsythia bush. I'd go into the house and say, "Mom, they've bloomed. The Forsythia has bloomed!" That statement, then, made us both exit the house and go out and look at her ever-growing bush. We'd begin to see branches that needed to be pruned, and snap a few of them. Then we'd walk around the yard to look at the rest of the flowers; checking for signs of "green" or buds.

By the time her Alzheimer's had gotten quite advanced, I would tell her "The yellow flowers had bloomed". Then I'd take her out to look at them, making sure she didn't get more than a step or two away from me because they lived on such a busy road.

During her last Winter with us, as I anticipated Spring and flowers blooming, I asked my Dad, "Would you let me have Earl 'till some dirt up in the backyard on the edge of the driveway so I could plant flowers for Mama out there?" He said that would be good, because by this time, we were all afraid of her getting outside the house on her own, going out to the road and getting hit by a fast-moving vehicle. (She tried to leave the house two times on MY watch...) As Winter was near it's end, and March came on the calendar, us kids gave Mom and Dad a card (both their BDs were in March) that said, "Good for one double, canopied swing in the back yard." We were going to put it near the new flower bed, so Mama could enjoy the flowers and be safe with Dad or whoever was caring for her at the moment.

However, that was never to be. The Forsythia bloomed, and a few days later, Mama died.

As I saw their beauty, yesterday, it was very bitter-sweet. I don't recall even noticing that they had bloomed in 2007 or 2008. I guess that shows signs of "healing" - that I again noticed "the phenomenon of Spring". As I looked at the bushes, I said out loud, "They've bloomed, Mama. The Forsythia has bloomed." I drove off with tears in my eyes but then a sort of chuckle under my breath as I heard her answer back, "If you think that's pretty, you should see the flowers where I am~!"

Four days from now, April 21, 2009, it will be two years since she went Home. It is still hard for me to believe it has been two years! But, I'm glad to know that she is able to see the most beautiful profusion of flowers ever imagined by us mere mortals - AND, we don't have to worry at all that she will get out by the busy road; the streets where she is are made of pure gold and the flowers bloom forever... and not just the Forsythia~~!

I'm BACK (No Pun Intended~!)

Lord, love a duck, it has been a long time since I've posted a new blog~!

But, I'm back~~!!!

When I titled this, the "no pun intended" was just too appropriate. I had my 3rd major back surgery on December 1, 2008. I've only posted 1 or 2 times since then. But, I am back in the land of the living and starting to feel much, much better.

I am no longer wearing my "corset", although I do have to say there are times it still feels good; so much support! I am going some without my cane - but not completely. I am also off ALL pain medication. That in itself, makes me feel so much better.

For those of you in the dark, I have now had 3 back surgeries that completed the fusion of 5 of my vertebrae in a row; I am fused from L2 - S1. My father's side of the family has this "wonderful gene" called Degenerative Disc Disease. I have it. As far as I am aware, out of the 6 children in our family, I am the only one that has it. Thank you FRITZ FAMILY~~! (I also have a lot of problems with my neck from the same thing, which causes me to have Migraines; LOTS of Migraines.

As I write, I am thankful that I CURRENTLY do NOT have a Migraine. I get them several times a week; sometimes daily. But, I have found the perfect remedy for that. I go the the Pain Clinic associated with Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan, and they do a Rhizotomy on each side of my neck.

First they start out with just a "diagnostic" Nerve Block, which is injections into different openings of the Cervical Spine/Spinal Canal. (Don't worry - they put you to sleep!) If the pain or headaches, etc. subside for any time at all - whether 2 days or 2 weeks, but then returns, they know they have injected the right areas. Sometimes, you will get longer relief each time, because they usually do them in a series of 3; each 1-2 weeks apart. (They can do these all the way down your spine - from neck to low-back, depending on your area of pain.)

However, if by the 3rd Nerve Block you are still having pain, they will do a Rhizotomy. That actually means instead of going in and blocking the nerve (numbing it with a steroid and other medication), they actually destroy the nerve. The method of destruction depends on the location of the injection site. If it is in your neck (Cervical) they use an electro-stimulating needle to do it. If it is from your shoulder (mid-back/Thoracic on down to low-back/Lumbar) they inject a very CAUSTIC mediction. Both methods actually travel down the nerve path(s) and burn/destroy the nerve.

A Rhizotomy is extremely painful for about 3 weeks, as that burning travels down the nerve path it branches out and makes everything on fire from your neck to your shoulder and part of your upper arm. I usually end up having to go in about a week later and having a simple nerve block done, just to calm down the pain while the Rhizotomy is in progress. BUT, the good thing is, every one that I have had, lasts for 1 year! That means NO HEADACHES for a year~!!!!

The nerve(s) will always eventually will grow back, anytime from 6 months to 2 years. I guess I am right in the middle...

Hey, I can only tell you from my experience, the benefits FAR outweigh the pain~!

So, all that being said, I am scheduled next week for one side to be done and 3 weeks later, the other side. Hallelujah!!!

So, while I continue to wait on my back to completely heal (it takes 12-18 months), I am very thankful to be in the place I am. The weather is nice, so I can start walking daily and as soon as the fusion is hardened enough, I will be able to do Aqua Therapy to strengthen my back muscles. (I have to have a CT with "reconstructive images in 3-D done first, go see the Neurosurgeon again, and then He will be able to give me a better idea of "when" I can start.

In the meantime, I have signed up to take classes to become Certified as a Medical Biller/Coder. I start May 5 and am looking very forward to that

AWOL & Favorite Christmas Carol

Oh, my gosh! I cannot believe it has been so long since I have made an entry on my blog site; NOVEMBER!!! By, the way - for those of you who voted on my favorite Christmas Carol, not one person voted for the one that was right. I had votes for all the ones that were wrong, though! Crazy..

O, Little Town of Bethlehem is my favorite - probably because I have been to Bethlehem. Especially at Christmas time, I can feel the cool night air, hear the sounds of busy traffic and smell the smells of that town as we walked to the Church of the Nativity that was built over the spot were they say the Baby Jesus was born. There is a special place w/i the Church that is kind of built out into a rounded area in the stone wall with special, and beautiful tiles on the floor, hanging lamps that hold candles, and a rail to keep you from stepping into it, that is supposedly where the actual stable was. It feels very warm and holy - standing there looking into that spot.

I cannot remember for sure, but I don't think I put as a choice, my second-most favorite carol. It is, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. I love it for all the words - they are so beautifully written. But, there is a personal thing for me hidden amongst the verses. I showed it to my mother one night while in Church and she got quite a chuckle out of it.

As many of you know, I have struggled with back problems on and off for years. My back used to "go out" on me and I would be in bed and off work for a week every time. Then eventually, I had a ruptured disc and finally had to have a laminectomy after trying every conservative treatment. Then, I had my first back Fusion in 2003, my second in 2006 and my third/current one in December of 2008. I am still recovering from that one. So, this part of that song really, really fits me. It is the first half of verse 3 and goes like this:

"And ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low;
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow...

Anyone who has dealt with back pain would so identify with those words in a heartbeat!

Well, I will soon be revealing the reason for my long hiatus.

Stay posted~~!

Beauty in Unusual Places

Just as the Fall season was upon us, I was greatly delighted to see "beauty" in unusual places. I found them a few weeks apart and took pictures of each "on the spot". Each picture was of a form of life growing out of a place that was unexpected.

This is the first one I saw; growing right outside the Insurance Office I utilize, on a down-town sidewalk in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. I was SO amused by it!

About three weeks later, I was in Coldwater, Michigan at a park and I saw this...and again, I was amused, but also in awe at the places I was seeing "life" growing and surviving around me.

These two pictures would pop into my head at the most random times. I knew there was truly a message in them - but wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. Then a few days ago, I had an interesting and very enjoyable encounter.




My "encounter" was with a little boy who was sitting at a table behind me at Bob Evan's Restaurant in Saginaw, Michigan. I could tell by the table talk that the family was getting ready to leave. I had noticed a baby with the family when I was seated. Always wanting to look at and talk about some one's baby to them, I turned my head to see if the baby was still awake.

Almost right in my face, was this little boy, who had gotten out of his seat and was "ready to go"! He had on a Cub Scout uniform. I started a conversation with him. I asked him about him being in Cub Scouts; he liked it but didn't like his "hat", he said, as he put it on his head! I looked at the dad, who said, "he doesn't like BEARS", and there was a bear on the hat. I told him that he looked very nice in his uniform and to always remember that girls like boys who wear uniforms. He gave me some response and I could tell by that time, that this boy was "special". I had my suspicions, but didn't know for sure what made him uniquely "him". I asked him his name; he picked up a crayon and wrote, "ALEX". I told him I liked that name; that it was a nice name. Then he picked up the crayon again and wrote "boy" under his name. "Yes", I said, "you are a boy. How old are you?" He went back and forth between seven and nine. Finally grandma told me he had just turned nine.

We kept talking; he whispered in my ear what his baby sister's name was. Then he asked me if I wanted to play tic-tack-toe with him? His parents and grandmother immediately thought he had crossed a line with me. "Leave her alone; no, she doesn't want to play t-t-t with you". I told him I would LOVE to play the game with him. He brought his paper and crayons over to my table. We played two games; he won them both!!! He was delighted, to say the least. (I think he would have gone home with me if he could have.)

His parents and grandma told him to come with them - that they were leaving. He whispered in my ear again that his mama had a little tiny baby that might be a boy. (Grandma and parents informed me that Mama was pregnant again.) "Oh", I said, "you are getting a new baby! How fun for you!"

Now he had to follow them out to the car. As he started to leave I hugged him and told him it had been so nice to meet him, and for him to have a very Merry Christmas. He hugged me in return and repeated the same things back to me. He started to follow his family, but once again, turned and came running back to me. Again, he hugged me TIGHT and said, "Have a very Merry Christmas". By this time, I was truly in love! I could have put him in my pocket and taken him home with me!!!

Suddenly I see that Grandma had stayed a little behind the rest of the family. Then she explained to me, "He is Autistic." (I think she felt she had to explain his behavior to me.) I told her I had suspected that. Then I told her my daughter was in her final year of school and doing her student teaching for her Special Education (Teaching) Degree. By this time, Mama had come back and joined our conversation. Grandma explained to her that she was telling me about Alex being Autistic. I quickly told Mama the same thing about my daughter that I had shared with the grandma.

I sensed a sigh of relief from both of them. I begin to think about Alex and have thought of him several times in the few days since I met him. I will probably never see him again. I thought of him in comparison to those plants I found growing in unlikely places.

For a few minutes, in a Bob Evan's Restaurant, I found beauty in an unusual place... beauty in a small boy named Alex. I will never forget the whispers in my ear or the tight hugs and well wishes he gave me. I hope he felt acceptance from me that night, AND I hope he felt he was "a beautiful person- just like he was... no frills added."