Hello. Must I introduce myself? It’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Been having some health problems and feeling rotten doesn’t lend itself to bright, creative blogging.
I have fought migraine headaches all my life. School, marriage, children, work all while dealing with migraines.
Years ago, Doctors didn’t consider migraine a disease. “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.” In my case, “You have three children, I’ll prescribe Valium.” Just what I need with three little ones running around my feet! Later, I got, “You’re depressed? I’ll give you something for depression.” Heck yes, I’m depressed. I have migraine so bad I can’t function. That is why I’m depressed.
Finally, found a doctor willing to deal with the problem and spent time at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. That is another story. It was an interesting experience. Every patient on the floor had migraine or cluster headaches. The nurses had also experienced migraine. At last, someone understood what you meant when you said “I have a headache.” When a migraine sufferer has a headache, it isn’t just a headache, it’s a HEADACHE.
I received the correct medication and got relief. I learned to watch my diet, learned not take on too much, learned to relax when a migraine is threatening.
So now, I’m having migraine again. Make that severe migraine. My doctor informed me, I’m too old to be having migraines. Well, Doctor, I’m old and I’m having migraines. He refused to prescribe the preventative medicine needed and referred me to other doctors.
This blog finds me in the process of going from doctor to doctor to find one who understands and treats migraine. Antibiotics for severe sinusitis has helped the worst migraines, but I’m still having headaches. Still taking too many pain pills. So if you see me staggering around and not making sense, you know I’ve got a migraine and am high on pain pills.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Blurb for Murder On Tour
Murder wasn’t on the itinerary when Maxie Black and her friend Stella traveled to Ireland to help a friend. Expecting the sights and sounds of Ireland to soothe her spirit and provide background for her next mystery, Maxie did not expect to become the prime suspect in an extremist plot.
From the Book of Kells to St. Kevin’s Monastery, Maxie is hounded by a person demanding something that Maxie does not have. Among ancient castles and legends in the Emerald Isle, Maxie is kidnapped and nearly killed. Homeland security agent, Mitch Logan shadows her every move. He knows too much about her. Can she trust him? And who is Irene Bouchard, the redheaded bombshell that turns up every time Maxie is in trouble?
From the Book of Kells to St. Kevin’s Monastery, Maxie is hounded by a person demanding something that Maxie does not have. Among ancient castles and legends in the Emerald Isle, Maxie is kidnapped and nearly killed. Homeland security agent, Mitch Logan shadows her every move. He knows too much about her. Can she trust him? And who is Irene Bouchard, the redheaded bombshell that turns up every time Maxie is in trouble?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
My Super Bowl Celebration
My Super Bowl Celebration
I am not a sports fan but on Super Bowl Sunday, I decided to celebrate. Idea! Soup for Super Bowl. So I made a large pot of vegetable soup. Then me, myself and I sat down to eat lunch with a cup of tea.
Me suggested the soup needed salt. I told her to count her blessings that she had soup to eat. Myself said the tea was too strong. That didn’t bother me. Me made the tea.
I am not a sports fan but on Super Bowl Sunday, I decided to celebrate. Idea! Soup for Super Bowl. So I made a large pot of vegetable soup. Then me, myself and I sat down to eat lunch with a cup of tea.
Me suggested the soup needed salt. I told her to count her blessings that she had soup to eat. Myself said the tea was too strong. That didn’t bother me. Me made the tea.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Do You Remember When Snow was Fun?
The snow is leaving. Sunshine. Yea!
Do you remember when snow was fun? When you were a child, you couldn’t wait to play in the snow. To throw snow balls, to build a snow fort, to slide down the steep hill.
My first memory of snow, I was two or three years old. Mom made snow ice cream by taking clean snow, adding vanilla, sugar and little cream. That made a slushy ice cream and we thought it was delicious. We didn’t have an ice cream freezer. Sometimes, Mom put cream, sugar and vanilla in a syrup bucket and put it out in the snow. If she went out and turned the bucket every so often, we had ice cream for supper.
When I was child, my brother and I didn’t have a sled. Dad made us a couple of small sleds out of wood. The runners were wooden also and didn’t do well on snow. But they slid fine on ice. It didn’t take Brother Jerry and me long to figure out how to make ice out of the snow.
It was fun to slog the mile to school in the snow. We knew only a few students would show up to our one room school. It would be a fun day. There was a long hill to travel down to the schoolhouse. Again, my brother co-conspirator and I decided we could sit on our lunch buckets and slide down the hill. Mom was not too proud of us as our lunch buckets were new and fancy. They were just like Dad’s that had a raised top with a thermos in it.
As a teen, my neighbor was with the highway department. He and his wife owned a grocery store as well. She did not like to stay alone when he had to work nights on the snowy or icy roads. He would pick up his niece (my best friend,) then bring the highway snow truck to my house, blade off our drive and pick me up. The two of us were to stay at the store with his wife. Fine guards we were. We spent a good part of the night, slipping and sliding in the snow, drinking hot chocolate and generally enjoying ourselves.
Then there is the down side of snow. We heated with wood at our house in the Ozarks. Dad’s rule was, “You can’t listen to the radio until you do your chores.” Chores like bring in enough wood for the night and the next day, gather the eggs, feed and water the animals. It was not fun to do chores in the snow when it was cold. That long road to school got cold too, however much fun we had, we arrived at school with cold noses, wet gloves and frosty toes.
Of course, you remember getting your child bundled up for snow. They would stay five minutes and want to go inside. There they stayed five minutes, then demanded to be bundled up again.
My husband and I had a wreck in snow one time. We slipped off the road and landed upside down. The snow cushioned our fall, but it took us a few minutes to get out of the car and a long time (it seemed) for someone to come along and give us ride back to Mountain Grove.
We owned a heating oil – wholesale gasoline business in Mountain Grove. Many of the older homes heated with heating oil. There are two kinds of heating oil. One kind will freeze up in very cold weather if it isn’t mixed with the lighter oil. Many times, we got a call in the middle of a cold, snowy night that their furnace wasn’t working. The oil had congealed in the line. Clif would bundle up, take a flashlight and go to the home to thaw the oil line. When the kids were old enough to stay alone, I would go with him to hold the light. Cold! Oh my. Clif had on enough clothes to keep him warm. Not me. I didn’t own coverall and a flop eared cap. So mainly, I shivered and my teeth chattered until we had the client’s fire going and they were toasty warm.
Oh, those were the days.
Do you remember when snow was fun? When you were a child, you couldn’t wait to play in the snow. To throw snow balls, to build a snow fort, to slide down the steep hill.
My first memory of snow, I was two or three years old. Mom made snow ice cream by taking clean snow, adding vanilla, sugar and little cream. That made a slushy ice cream and we thought it was delicious. We didn’t have an ice cream freezer. Sometimes, Mom put cream, sugar and vanilla in a syrup bucket and put it out in the snow. If she went out and turned the bucket every so often, we had ice cream for supper.
When I was child, my brother and I didn’t have a sled. Dad made us a couple of small sleds out of wood. The runners were wooden also and didn’t do well on snow. But they slid fine on ice. It didn’t take Brother Jerry and me long to figure out how to make ice out of the snow.
It was fun to slog the mile to school in the snow. We knew only a few students would show up to our one room school. It would be a fun day. There was a long hill to travel down to the schoolhouse. Again, my brother co-conspirator and I decided we could sit on our lunch buckets and slide down the hill. Mom was not too proud of us as our lunch buckets were new and fancy. They were just like Dad’s that had a raised top with a thermos in it.
As a teen, my neighbor was with the highway department. He and his wife owned a grocery store as well. She did not like to stay alone when he had to work nights on the snowy or icy roads. He would pick up his niece (my best friend,) then bring the highway snow truck to my house, blade off our drive and pick me up. The two of us were to stay at the store with his wife. Fine guards we were. We spent a good part of the night, slipping and sliding in the snow, drinking hot chocolate and generally enjoying ourselves.
Then there is the down side of snow. We heated with wood at our house in the Ozarks. Dad’s rule was, “You can’t listen to the radio until you do your chores.” Chores like bring in enough wood for the night and the next day, gather the eggs, feed and water the animals. It was not fun to do chores in the snow when it was cold. That long road to school got cold too, however much fun we had, we arrived at school with cold noses, wet gloves and frosty toes.
Of course, you remember getting your child bundled up for snow. They would stay five minutes and want to go inside. There they stayed five minutes, then demanded to be bundled up again.
My husband and I had a wreck in snow one time. We slipped off the road and landed upside down. The snow cushioned our fall, but it took us a few minutes to get out of the car and a long time (it seemed) for someone to come along and give us ride back to Mountain Grove.
We owned a heating oil – wholesale gasoline business in Mountain Grove. Many of the older homes heated with heating oil. There are two kinds of heating oil. One kind will freeze up in very cold weather if it isn’t mixed with the lighter oil. Many times, we got a call in the middle of a cold, snowy night that their furnace wasn’t working. The oil had congealed in the line. Clif would bundle up, take a flashlight and go to the home to thaw the oil line. When the kids were old enough to stay alone, I would go with him to hold the light. Cold! Oh my. Clif had on enough clothes to keep him warm. Not me. I didn’t own coverall and a flop eared cap. So mainly, I shivered and my teeth chattered until we had the client’s fire going and they were toasty warm.
Oh, those were the days.
Do You Remember When Snow was Fun
Do You Remember?
The snow is leaving. Sunshine. Yea!
Do you remember when snow was fun? When you were a child, you couldn’t wait to play in the snow. To throw snow balls, to build a snow fort, to slide down the steep hill.
My first memory of snow, I was two or three years old. Mom made snow ice cream by taking clean snow, adding vanilla, sugar and little cream. That made a slushy ice cream and we thought it was delicious. We didn’t have an ice cream freezer. Sometimes, Mom put cream, sugar and vanilla in a syrup bucket and put it out in the snow. If she went out and turned the bucket every so often, we had ice cream for supper.
When I was child, my brother and I didn’t have a sled. Dad made us a couple of small sleds out of wood. The runners were wooden also and didn’t do well on snow. But they slid fine on ice. It didn’t take Brother Jerry and me long to figure out how to make ice out of the snow.
It was fun to slog the mile to school in the snow. We knew only a few students would show up to our one room school. It would be a fun day. There was a long hill to travel down to the schoolhouse. Again, my brother co-conspirator and I decided we could sit on our lunch buckets and slide down the hill. Mom was not too proud of us as our lunch buckets were new and fancy. They were just like Dad’s that had a raised top with a thermos in it.
As a teen, my neighbor was with the highway department. He and his wife owned a grocery store as well. She did not like to stay alone when he had to work nights on the snowy or icy roads. He would pick up his niece (my best friend,) then bring the highway snow truck to my house, blade off our drive and pick me up. The two of us were to stay at the store with his wife. Fine guards we were. We spent a good part of the night, slipping and sliding in the snow, drinking hot chocolate and generally enjoying ourselves.
Then there is the down side of snow. We heated with wood at our house in the Ozarks. Dad’s rule was, “You can’t listen to the radio until you do your chores.” Chores like bring in enough wood for the night and the next day, gather the eggs, feed and water the animals. It was not fun to do chores in the snow when it was cold. That long road to school got cold too, however much fun we had, we arrived at school with cold noses, wet gloves and frosty toes.
Of course, you remember getting your child bundled up for snow. They would stay five minutes and want to go inside. There they stayed five minutes, then demanded to be bundled up again.
My husband and I had a wreck in snow one time. We slipped off the road and landed upside down. The snow cushioned our fall, but it took us a few minutes to get out of the car and a long time (it seemed) for someone to come along and give us ride back to Mountain Grove.
We owned a heating oil – wholesale gasoline business in Mountain Grove. Many of the older homes heated with heating oil. There are two kinds of heating oil. One kind will freeze up in very cold weather if it isn’t mixed with the lighter oil. Many times, we got a call in the middle of a cold, snowy night that their furnace wasn’t working. The oil had congealed in the line. Clif would bundle up, take a flashlight and go to the home to thaw the oil line. When the kids were old enough to stay alone, I would go with him to hold the light. Cold! Oh my. Clif had on enough clothes to keep him warm. Not me. I didn’t own coverall and a flop eared cap. So mainly, I shivered and my teeth chattered until we had the client’s fire going and they were toasty warm.
Oh, those were the days.
The snow is leaving. Sunshine. Yea!
Do you remember when snow was fun? When you were a child, you couldn’t wait to play in the snow. To throw snow balls, to build a snow fort, to slide down the steep hill.
My first memory of snow, I was two or three years old. Mom made snow ice cream by taking clean snow, adding vanilla, sugar and little cream. That made a slushy ice cream and we thought it was delicious. We didn’t have an ice cream freezer. Sometimes, Mom put cream, sugar and vanilla in a syrup bucket and put it out in the snow. If she went out and turned the bucket every so often, we had ice cream for supper.
When I was child, my brother and I didn’t have a sled. Dad made us a couple of small sleds out of wood. The runners were wooden also and didn’t do well on snow. But they slid fine on ice. It didn’t take Brother Jerry and me long to figure out how to make ice out of the snow.
It was fun to slog the mile to school in the snow. We knew only a few students would show up to our one room school. It would be a fun day. There was a long hill to travel down to the schoolhouse. Again, my brother co-conspirator and I decided we could sit on our lunch buckets and slide down the hill. Mom was not too proud of us as our lunch buckets were new and fancy. They were just like Dad’s that had a raised top with a thermos in it.
As a teen, my neighbor was with the highway department. He and his wife owned a grocery store as well. She did not like to stay alone when he had to work nights on the snowy or icy roads. He would pick up his niece (my best friend,) then bring the highway snow truck to my house, blade off our drive and pick me up. The two of us were to stay at the store with his wife. Fine guards we were. We spent a good part of the night, slipping and sliding in the snow, drinking hot chocolate and generally enjoying ourselves.
Then there is the down side of snow. We heated with wood at our house in the Ozarks. Dad’s rule was, “You can’t listen to the radio until you do your chores.” Chores like bring in enough wood for the night and the next day, gather the eggs, feed and water the animals. It was not fun to do chores in the snow when it was cold. That long road to school got cold too, however much fun we had, we arrived at school with cold noses, wet gloves and frosty toes.
Of course, you remember getting your child bundled up for snow. They would stay five minutes and want to go inside. There they stayed five minutes, then demanded to be bundled up again.
My husband and I had a wreck in snow one time. We slipped off the road and landed upside down. The snow cushioned our fall, but it took us a few minutes to get out of the car and a long time (it seemed) for someone to come along and give us ride back to Mountain Grove.
We owned a heating oil – wholesale gasoline business in Mountain Grove. Many of the older homes heated with heating oil. There are two kinds of heating oil. One kind will freeze up in very cold weather if it isn’t mixed with the lighter oil. Many times, we got a call in the middle of a cold, snowy night that their furnace wasn’t working. The oil had congealed in the line. Clif would bundle up, take a flashlight and go to the home to thaw the oil line. When the kids were old enough to stay alone, I would go with him to hold the light. Cold! Oh my. Clif had on enough clothes to keep him warm. Not me. I didn’t own coverall and a flop eared cap. So mainly, I shivered and my teeth chattered until we had the client’s fire going and they were toasty warm.
Oh, those were the days.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
How's That Again?
I just read an amusing blog post by Erica Vetsch telling the funny things people say to her as a writer. It reminded me of a couple of my show stoppers from people.
#1 Are you still writing?
#2 The best of all. At a church meeting a woman said, "I admire Pat's perserverence. She just keeps writing whether anyone buys it or not." At the time I was a published writer and working at a college, assisting the PR director. A little bit of writing involved there, and most of it published.
In another vein, since I'm stealing from other blogs: Writer's Digest blog suggested a blogger only blog if they have something to say. Don't waste the readers time. Say something the reader can take away. And here's the one that punched me in the gut. Blog at least twice a week. As you can see from the dates on my blog, I'm waaaaay behind.
#1 Are you still writing?
#2 The best of all. At a church meeting a woman said, "I admire Pat's perserverence. She just keeps writing whether anyone buys it or not." At the time I was a published writer and working at a college, assisting the PR director. A little bit of writing involved there, and most of it published.
In another vein, since I'm stealing from other blogs: Writer's Digest blog suggested a blogger only blog if they have something to say. Don't waste the readers time. Say something the reader can take away. And here's the one that punched me in the gut. Blog at least twice a week. As you can see from the dates on my blog, I'm waaaaay behind.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
October? What happened to September?
Yep, it's October. Jack-O-Lanterns, Pumpkins, ghosts, skeletons, colored leaves inhabit store shelves along with Christmas decorations. South Missouri must be the most colorful place in the US in the fall. Leaves are already turning. Have you noticed?
Back to what happened to September. For me September was a whirl of bridal showers, wedding preparation, house guests and finally a beautiful wedding. My granddaughter Kristin Harbin married Michael Highfil on Sept. 19. It was a beautiful wedding and she was a beautiful bride.
It rained the whole day but family and friend inside the beautiful Harmony Baptist Church in Rogersville made is a warm and pleasant day.
All my grandchildren, except one-year-old Nathan, were in the wedding party. Nathan was an attention getter with everyone who saw him in his brown corduroy pants, striped shirt and vest. Just beginning to walk, the church was a great place to explore. Uncle Greg was happy to walk around behind him, introducing him to everyone.
My beautiful granddaughter, Jessica, was candlelighter. Her brother, Jared, was a handsome usher. Granddaughter Kim assisted her sister as Maid of Honor. Kristin declared she was the worst Maid of Honor ever, but I don't think she meant it.
Mother of the bride Dayna was busy in the dressing room with attendants dresses, along with Kristin's Aunt Jeana. Aunt Kyla and Aunt Aleta were responsible for Jessica and Olivia's hair-do's. Aunt Kyla proved helpful in keeping track of flower girl Olivia, who had not had a nap, went to bed late the night before, and was full of sugar. Aunt Kyla caught her 2 seconds before she locked herself in the bathroom.
As you can see it was a family wedding. And I have not mentioned the great members of Harmony Baptist Church and other friends who tirelessly helped with decorations and food.
The wedding went off without a hitch (that isn't a pun). Aforementioned flower girl put on a show for everyone but it is expected with the little ones isn't it?
Wedding pictures will be Facebook soon. I know I've mentioned the word beautiful too many times, but... she is my first granddaughter to get married and she was beautiful and everything was beautiful. OK, I'll shut up about beautiful.
We had a huge family breakfast on Sunday morning at the Golden Corral. All my family was there except Kristin and Mike. They had something else to do ... Oh yes, a honeymoon.
Now all the visitors have gone home. Fall is in the air and it is time for this writer to get back to work. Someone please tell me which of my projects I should start on.
Back to what happened to September. For me September was a whirl of bridal showers, wedding preparation, house guests and finally a beautiful wedding. My granddaughter Kristin Harbin married Michael Highfil on Sept. 19. It was a beautiful wedding and she was a beautiful bride.
It rained the whole day but family and friend inside the beautiful Harmony Baptist Church in Rogersville made is a warm and pleasant day.
All my grandchildren, except one-year-old Nathan, were in the wedding party. Nathan was an attention getter with everyone who saw him in his brown corduroy pants, striped shirt and vest. Just beginning to walk, the church was a great place to explore. Uncle Greg was happy to walk around behind him, introducing him to everyone.
My beautiful granddaughter, Jessica, was candlelighter. Her brother, Jared, was a handsome usher. Granddaughter Kim assisted her sister as Maid of Honor. Kristin declared she was the worst Maid of Honor ever, but I don't think she meant it.
Mother of the bride Dayna was busy in the dressing room with attendants dresses, along with Kristin's Aunt Jeana. Aunt Kyla and Aunt Aleta were responsible for Jessica and Olivia's hair-do's. Aunt Kyla proved helpful in keeping track of flower girl Olivia, who had not had a nap, went to bed late the night before, and was full of sugar. Aunt Kyla caught her 2 seconds before she locked herself in the bathroom.
As you can see it was a family wedding. And I have not mentioned the great members of Harmony Baptist Church and other friends who tirelessly helped with decorations and food.
The wedding went off without a hitch (that isn't a pun). Aforementioned flower girl put on a show for everyone but it is expected with the little ones isn't it?
Wedding pictures will be Facebook soon. I know I've mentioned the word beautiful too many times, but... she is my first granddaughter to get married and she was beautiful and everything was beautiful. OK, I'll shut up about beautiful.
We had a huge family breakfast on Sunday morning at the Golden Corral. All my family was there except Kristin and Mike. They had something else to do ... Oh yes, a honeymoon.
Now all the visitors have gone home. Fall is in the air and it is time for this writer to get back to work. Someone please tell me which of my projects I should start on.
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