Good One Chelsea....

My niece Chelsea and I are watching "The Walking Dead" season two. She's never really watched too many.  Just on and off when I was introducing her mom to the world of zombies last summer.

Chelsea's question during a tense minute when they couldn't shoot guns for fear of bringing the Walkers down around them, "why don't they just have silencers on their guns???"

This Past Saturday

Chris went mountain biking with Jeremiah and Sarah Saturday while I had lunch at Bert's with Packy and April.  I'm thinking I got the better end of the stick.   Especially when the bike trail at Volzwagon was closed when they got there...

Packy is doing great with his chemo.  Although he said he is very tired.  Packy has three rounds but has a round for five days straight every three weeks.  The first round he stayed in the hospital during the week long treatment.   Packy said staying at the hospital was horrible and plans to drive back and forth each day next week for chemo.

I told Packy to be careful with that.  Sure the fatigue is all he feels now.  BUT I told him that he was a healthy man on that first round.  The round coming up?  Well he's starting that one fatigued and not healthy and the third will be started with an even more unhealthy body.

I said "Packy, you better stay in hospital if there is any indication of blood pressure problems or vomiting or diarrhea or fevers  You will not want to turn deathly ill at home and end up in some emergency room sick as a dog.  You'd have to wait forever for paperwork be completed and see a doctor,  all while you're sick."

Another one of my concerns is Packy driving himself back and forth to treatment.   He is going to grow only more and more fatigued.   Hard to travel fatigued.   He will also be taking nausea medicines so I don't know how those chemo drugs and nausea meds will affect his driving.   They may not. I dunno.  I do know I drove myself to Knoxville five days a week for several weeks for radiation.   The amount of fatigue I experienced was over whelming.  I should have had someone take me to help drive.   I became very drowsy driving home.  And that only grew worse as treatment continued. 

But Packy is doing remarkably well and I just pray treatment continues and stays as easily as can be expected.  We love Packy so very much.  He was Chris' s best man at our wedding.  Ohhhhh the stories they tell of childhoods.   I keep telling Packy to write a book!

I think Packy's major goal is to follow doctor's orders so he will heal fast enough to be on his boat by spring!

Not shot by Daryl....

This one wasn't cross bowed by Daryl Dixon.  Daryl wouldn't waste arrows and he knows you have to shoot zombies in the head....

What is family?

I often write and post photos of my family on here and Facebook.   With nieces and nephews I also have greats.  So I refer to Chelsea, Bella, Jack and Mallie Belle and Sarah and Carrie (Chris side) as great nieces and nephew.

Jamey, Jessie, Tanner, Amber and Colton are referred to as nieces and nephews.

I've had a couple people from not around here (not southern) ask why I said great nieces on some posts about Chelsea and Bella and on another post about great nephew Jack.

I explained their parents are my nieces/nephews so they are my nieces and nephew once removed.  Thus great niece or great nephew.  I'm their great aunt.

From left back: Great niece Chelsea, nephew Tanner, me, great niece Mallie Belle, nephew Jamey, niece Jessie. Front: great nephew Jack an great niece Bella

My great nieces Chelsea and Bella are my nephew Jamey's daughters.   

My great nephew Jack and great niece Mallie Belle are my niece Jessie's kids.

Another person last summer from several states away said "aren't all nieces great?" after a post on a couple of the greats.  I didn't think about it then but he probably didn't know what I was referring to either.

Seems up North or certain other places I've traveled or known people from identify family in different ways.  Ask them who is in their family and they mostly tell you that they have brother and or sisters,  parents and grandparents.   Just immediate family.  Maybe they do not have extended families as we do. Or just normally do not include them in general conversation.

In most of East TN, or at least Monroe Count and surrounding areas when asked about who's in our family we'll include the general immediate family.   But also aunts, uncles, great aunt and uncles, cousins and second cousins, sometimes third or fourth.  People in our area love family and want to claim as many relatives as can be thought of.

We also speak of families as either "his side of the family" or "her side of the family.

For example, I have around 30 first cousins on my mom's side of the family.  On my daddy's side I have around 20 first cousin.  (Notice something? I referred to them as first cousins. It's import to distinguish first,  second, third and so on when talking about your family.

Relatives that have died are still referred to in discussions about family.  And counted among the number of family members.

I have a cousin I usually say this about: "my second cousin on my daddy's side died of breast cancer when she was only 26."

It's funny to think about the ways family is called and looked upon so differently depending on where you are from.  I love that I'm from Monroe County,  Tennessee and I love claiming as many relatives as I can.

My niece Amber and her brother,  my nephew Colton. Niece Tressa and her two daughters, our great nieces not in photo.  

(These are Chris' s side of family.)

Clippings

Momma had several newspaper faith based clippings in her Bible.  After she died I laminated those and stuck in various places in my Bible.

I ran across one tonight that is a cartoon clipping of Dennis the Menace.  Probably a clipping from the 70's or early 80's:

"If it's this good here I wonder what it's like in Heaven on a day like today?"

Wonder what my mother, father and brother were doing today while I was working?  I'm eager about seeing them again someday.   I know it will be in a different capacity but I believe we'll know each other.

Momma taught me that we wouldn't be related in the sense as on earth but she believed we'd know each other.   God wants us happy. Knowing our loved ones, seeing each other again after parted so long would be a happy day.

Failure

I try to remind myself through the years that if God allows something to happen in my life I can't fail.  He wouldn't set me up for failure but rather to learn to be strong and be an example to others of Him.

Some of my favorite visitors. ..

My great nieces: Bella and her older sister Chelsea came to see me tonight.  Turned on Castle repeats.  Chelsea worked on homework from college and Bella fixed my hair.  I also remembered tonight why I have not eaten at Sonic in two years.

Chelsea's attempt at my hair.

Chelsea working on homework

Me and Bella

Me and Chelsea

Me and Chelsea

Bella fixed my hair

 Bella fixing my hair

Bella. I tired to french braid her hair.

Didn't turn out so well. ..

Me and the girls

Chelsea redoing my hair. 

I attempted a french braid on Bella.

Me and Chelsea

Bella

Bella

Love catching up with friends..

Good News Doc

Chris and I went to Nashville for my doctors appointment today.  All stitches removed and drain tubes out!  Now.  I've had three sets of drain tubes in the past four years.  Generally don't hurt being removed.  Today.  Little ouch. Well. Quite a bit.

Tidbit for that book I'll write someday when I have a volunteer ghostwriter.   Don't be due for drain tube removal right when a winter storm hits.  Three days overdue to come out = a bit more pain.  Stupid snow....

The one infected area too wide too remove during surgery is healing nicely.  It had better be healed by boat time or else no lake water for me....not good.  I hate to sweat.  That means I hate the boat if I can't cool off in the lake.

Doc told me "Marna.  Now we know your body likes simple things.  So we'll heal and regroup."

Regroup for what I'm unsure.  I do believe he is determined for me to experience a successful reconstruction.

We'll see if the story will be continued.   My family will vote.........no.

Casting for Recovery

Applied for "Casting for Recovery".  Deadline is the 31st.  Eek!  Almost missed it!

Information on the "Casting for Recovery" program at:
Casting for Recovery

Yoga for Breast Cancer Patients and Survivors

Great article!  Maybe helpful to others.  Had to share the link below:

Yoga May Help Overcome Fatigue After Breast Cancer...

Fatigue after treatment....maybe that's why I sleep for six hours on the boat.....  Nah, probably not.  I love naps and being lazy.

Surprise Snows Are The Greatest

My flag.....

My friend.....

My horses.....

"The Incredible Dr. Pol"

"The Incredible Dr. Pol".  He's just incredible.  I love the show.  Makes me appreciate the great vets who are always ready day or night to help with pets and livestock at our place.   

Good veterinary work is so valuable.  Especially on large animals.  Particularly cattle.   Cattle are HARD to work.  Seems more and more young folks going to veterinary school lean toward small animal.  Not large.  I guess who can blame them?  Fewer kids are growing up on farms who go to vet school and you have to have that desire for large animal work.  It's just hard.  Did I say cattle are hard to work?  I won't fool with 'em.

Vets.  Thanks so much for all you do.....I don't think you hear that enough.

Snow

Not much snow yet but just started at the farm a short time ago. 

So much for going to Nashville to doctor.   

Wrong Show

Okay. This week's "The Bachelor" critical critique.   Don Pablo is on the wrong show. He needs to be on "Dancing With The Stars".  Good grief.....

Tanner and Candy Crush...

Turned my back for 2 seconds and Tanner had my phone playing Candy Crush....

Aunt Charlsie Maynard is 92!

Charlsie's favorite-Krystals!

Jack singing happy birthday!

My sister Lynette and grandbaby Mallie Belle.

Charlsie and Mallie Belle

Charlsie and her therapist Amber.  Amber is Chrisand I's niece.  Very fortunate to have her at Woods whileCharlsie is there.

My great nephew Jack trying to pick the lock on 

the finch cage with a pencil.  wonder what he'd done if

20 birds had flown out all of a sudden!!! 

Me and Charlsie

My sister Lynette and Charlsie

Me and my niece Amber and my

great niece Mallie Belle (Niece Jessie's baby).

My cousin Eddie made this incredible flowers

for our aunt Charlsie

Jack and Mallie have it made!  Every time Lynette takes

them to the nursing home Amber sweeps them up

and takes them to the therapy room to play.