1.  It is possible for a newscaster to talk from 6:00AM…till the present time (11:26 AM)  about 1 story.  I have been witness to such.  The Sandusky scandal and Joe Paterno’s knowledge and involvement in it has been examined in every way possible.  Every player and every ‘man on the street’ has given their viewpoint.  Everyone finds it despicable, and everyone has an opinion as to what should be done.  But really, do we care about what a player who was on the team 10 years ago thinks?  Why do we even need to know what anyone thinks?  Report the news…have a scheduled news conference if need be and then let it be.  Update occasionally until a decision is reached.  We don’t need to know what color of socks Paterno wore when he was coach.  We don’t need to know what he instilled in his players.  He, along with the others involved, dropped the ball.  Innocent children were irreparably damaged and they are all guilty in one degree or another.

Adam and I  have been held hostage by a big screen TV set to ESPN…and unable to be changed.  I know all I never even wanted to know about the abuse and it sickens me.  And, there were 2 others set the same, so there was no getting away from it.

2.  I despise those paper towel dispensers in rest rooms that you have to wave your hand in front of and get a tiny square of sandpaper.  Every restroom at this hospital has them.  It makes me want to get a wad of tissues and bring with me to use instead.  What disturbs me even  more is that if you get one square to come out…it is nigh unto impossible to get another one to dispense…without waiting several minutes for the machine to collect it’s thoughts and get back to its job.  What just TOTALLY UNNERVES ME is the fact that Sister can stand there with a satisfied look on her face and get it to send out rolls and rolls of the stuff.  And then she offers to share hers with me.
Fact..she’s better at dispensing towels than I.  I can live with that.  She also had that’ car on the sidewalk’ episode at this hospital…just saying.

3.  The chairs that line the walls in waiting rooms are designed by a sadist.  Pleather seats with no…read it…NO padding.  Hard wooden slats for arm rests.  The little couches that seat 2 are better padded,  and easy to sink into…but nearly impossible to get out of without help.   And v.e.r.y. hard to get into a decent position to blog.  And isn’t that what hospital waiting rooms are for, after all. I learned that I can only cross my legs and balance my laptop for a limited time.  Then, parts of me need to take a break.  But, that’s probably more than you needed to know, isn’t it?

 

 

4  .Obviously those who installed the vending machine at this hospital, had a wicked sense of humor.

Joy and I went to get a snack and something to drink because that dry biscuit we got this morning from the motel was fading fast.  So, we stopped at the snack machine first and were able to both get something to eat with no trouble whatsoever…EASY PEASY.  I mean we have used a few thousand vending machines in our lifetimes.

I then moved on down to the drink machine.YEA!  They have Diet Dr. Pepper…in bottles!!! Life is good.  UM  I’ve never seen this before…machine only accepts $1.00 or $5.00 bills.  Well, I know the drinks are more than a dollar, but I can’t see any price but ‘takes $1 or$5 bills’.  OK.  Well, I’ll try a dollar first.  Money in and it gives me 4 quarters back.  Obviously it is more than $1…so I put in a $5 dollar bill, and mashed the DDP picture.  Nothing comes out…except a BIG pile of change.  Sooooooo, I put in two dollars worth of change…and push the DDP sign again…all my change comes back…and no DDP comes out.  I turn around and tell Joy that these are the dumbest machines I’ve ever seen.  Well, what’s wrong says she-as she’s drinking her Coke.  I keep putting my money in and it sends it back in change and it doesn’t give me my drink.

Then she starts laughing like a crazy, maniacal, possessed woman…with no empathy in her soul at all.  She asked me where are you putting in the money and I showed her and she just pointed…here, I’ll show you…

Yes…I was putting my money in the change machine and and pushing the DDP picture.  I’ll wait while you stop laughing.  Sister is still laughing.  But, in my defense…do you see how hard it is to see the money slot for the drinks?  Stupid machine placement, if you ask me…I would have hit her but there were several other people there obviously enjoying these 2 daft old women from who knows where trying to figure out a simple drink machine.

5.  Well, that episode gave us a little break…and in just a few minutes, they called us back to recovery.  So, Joy comes down, and tells Adam to go and get the car and after leaving the deck to turn RIGHT, then RIGHT, then RIGHT  and into the patient pick up lane.  So Adam gets to the car and turns…..LEFT!!!!!!!  We stood outside and waited for about 15 minutes and I called him.  Is something wrong?  No, I’m just lost.  Where are you?  I’ll call you back…I think I see it.  Wait…10 minutes…call again, while standing next to the road in the rain so he could see me.  Where are you now?  3rd Ave N.   I ask the escort who brought us out and he just laughed and said that’s a long way from here and heading the wrong way.  I told Adam to turn around…he did…and FINALLY after another 5 minutes, he makes it.  We all just laughed.  Cause what else can you do?  This was the same hospital where Joy drove dowm the sidewalk to pick us up last year.  Either it’s really a difficult thing to do, or our whole family is one brick shy of a load.

6.  Seriously.  no one should ever send an elderly person to a hospital by themselves.  Everyone deserves to have some help maneuvering the ‘wait here’ and the ‘go to third floor waiting’  and ‘go back to the lobby’.  We observed several elderly folks who were so turned around and no one to help them.  And, that little twirp of a receptionist keeps using her ‘irritated voice’ when they get confused.  She has also been reported to the supervisor.  We are so fortunate that our family is as close as it is and that we know we can call on any member at any time.  But, all are not so lucky.  We must be available to fill in that gap.

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O.K. the waiting room ordeal is over and we are all back at the hotel.  We stopped at McDonalds to eat because Pop wanted a Fish Sandwich.  And, now, Adam and Pop are going to take a nap.  And, Joy and I are going to take the car for a little spin and perhaps stop if something catches our fancy.  No need to hang around watching them sleep, is there?

Last night, Ian met us after work and took us all downtown to a local spot.  He surely knows the locations of some fine restauraunts…this was no exception.  We enjoyed our dinner and our time together, then turned in early since Pop had to be at the hospital at 6:00.

 

I wonder if I could tell this story any more out of order?  Sorry.  Adam was such a big help and right there with his Pop the whole time.  Thanks, Adam!

We went back to the hospital the morning after the surgery to check in with the doctor.  He had to dilate his eyes 3 separate times in order to check them well.  They were much more swollen than he thought they would be.  But..all was well, and he was very pleased.  He has to be very careful and follow Dr.’s orders until he returns in 2 weeks.

Joy, Pop and I were glad to have one more step in this saga taken care of.

As we travelled around town and thre and back, we were delighted to see such beauty in the trees.  The leaves were trying to out glow one another.  

 

Yes. Yes that is a reindeer head sticking up in that picture.  The trees were decoration enough without adding Christmas in so early.  What, we can not even enjoy Thanksgiving anymore?  In store after store, the Fall merchandise along with the Thanksgiving items were already slashed to less than half price.  Bad news if you’d like to purchase something for your Thanksgiving Dinner table.  Crazy.

Joy and I made a quick stop at Pottery Barn and found nothing we needed.  Right next door was PBKids, so we thought we just peruse their wares in case Sweet John Thomas or Baby Levi needed a thing or two.  Bought a few cute little items and then, I totally lost my mind…totally!  I bought a bean bag chair.  A B I G bean bag chair.  I forgot we were a little crowded already…so Joy and I rode to Dothan with a bean bag chair undulating in whatever spaces it could in the back seat.  A convenient place to rest your head, though!

We are so thankful for the way the Lord answered our prayers.  Pop is doing well and each day his eye improves.  God, alone, gets the glory.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”    Philippians 4:19    AMEN.

 

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