Life in a Moment, Part Deux

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~ Terri Guillemets

In a moment of irony or kismet, after writing my post Life in a Moment about making sure we tell folks we care today, yesterday my mom landed in the ER.

She's been struggling with being able to breathe for sometime, though it worsened dramatically. Her current doctor told her "you're old and overweight ... it's nothing that diet and exercise won't fix." So Mom changed her eating habits, lost a pile of weight, started walking more (she's 78 y.o. so couldn't exactly start running a marathon) and it only got worse.

On Wednesday, I looked online and found her a new doctor (one who would both accept patients and take Medicare -- many of the doctors in her town won't take Medicare). He got her in the same day. Ordered lab tests for first thing Thursday. Then, upon getting the results, the lab called and told her to go to the ER immediately.

She called me en route. We were both terrifically worried, obviously. Every couple of hours she gave me updates: I have severe anemia and need a blood transfusion. I'm bleeding internally, but they don't know where. I'm being admitted for the night. And then finally the answer: bleeding ulcers.

These don't develop overnight. I'm so glad her new doctor took the time to really listen to her and DO something. Her old doctor should be strung up by his toes. Shame on him for assuming she was a complaining old lady. He had the opportunity to catch this problem before it got so severe that it was life threatening.

Life in a moment .... Thankfully, I talk to my mom almost every day. I try not to miss any moments. I've lost one parent, and still miss him every day so don't want to make the same mistakes again. She's the only Mom I have.

In any case, I was a little distracted yesterday. I did very little except wander around my house and clean it. I didn't write or visit blogs, and only did the bare minimum of work that was urgent. I'll try to catch up today.

For now, though: Go... hug your mom if you can. Hug your kids. Hug your husband. Hug your siblings. Hug a friend. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

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You Should Bake Chocolate Cookies

You are easy going and fun to be around. You love to glory in each moment. You love to be in a crowd, and you know how to work it. You are good at getting people to laugh. You are confident and sure of yourself. You can handle criticism and don't take harsh words personally. You like to be the center of attention, and you love complements. You take both good things and the bad things in stride.

What Kind of Cookies Should You Bake?

Mmm... chocolate. But the quiz results? About 50/50.

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A Hug and SUCCESS!

Everybody needs a hug. It changes your metabolism. ~Leo Buscaglia

Last week, amidst all the craziness that is website building, Anno awarded me some great blog awards.





They were much appreciated during a week where I seldom slept, didn't socialize and barely breathed. And, now, I'm finally remembering to say thanks.

Thanks, Anno.

I offer hugs to all of you who come everyday and visit. I really appreciate that you take the time :-)

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We have SUCCESS in the vole hunt! Woot!!

I'd pretty much given up ... the trap had been out for days, and I was just too darn lazy to go build a tunnel yesterday. In fact, the food was old, and I figured that today I'd need to rebait the trap or finally resort to poison (the thing made FIVE new holes yesterday!! And two were in the grass -- which would put DH over the edge, but thankfully he was gone yesterday).

This morning, I woke up and peeked out the window from the second floor. The trap looked like it had been sprung. I decided I probably caught a frog (my SIL called me the other day and told me that she'd caught -- and killed, because she's using REAL traps -- a toad in her mouse trap).

I grabbed the bird feeders to put them out, and checked the trap. There was something huddling in the corner, but I couldn't see what it was. I finished putting out the feeders, and then lifted up the trap.

The tiniest little gray ball of fur was smooshed as far into the corner of the trap as possible. A vole.

I admit to being a bit shocked, both at actually catching the thing AND at its size. It can't be more than 1 1/2" from stem to stern!! How did something so tiny do so much damage? He all but annihilated my garden. ALL my bulbs were gone, most of my tuberous plants were eaten... that's a LOT of food for such a tiny fellow.

So, it looks like a long hike into the woods is in order today. And, then I have to come back and fill in all his holes -- first by flooding them, and hoping it causes the dirt to cave in underground, and then by stuffing what I can full of dirt. The articles I read on vole removal all indicated that voles LOVE to find unoccupied homes and move in.

I don't want to do this again.

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The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free. In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved. You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring. You would be forced to break up with someone who was insecure and in constant need of reassurance. Your ideal relationship is open. Both of you can talk about everything... no secrets. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something that will confine you. You are afraid of marriage. In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Don't tell my DH of almost 12 years that I'm afraid of marriage, okay?