I did a dumb thing.  Very dumb.  I didn’t mean to…but that doesn’t earn me any points, now does it.

I’m having a big party here at my house on Dec. 3.  I’m sorry to say, but I’m just not able to work at something all day any more.  My joints just won’t stand for it!    Therefore, it takes a while longer to get a project completed.  So, I have begun taking down all my Fall decor and getting ready to decorate for Christmas.  We are doing Thanksgiving at Joy’s this year, so it won’t matter if my decor is down.  I started yesterday and today everything is down and by the back door.  I also needed to put up the fall dishes and platters and such.  You know…basically wipe out fall and get on to Christmas!

Those of you who know me IRL know that I am vertically challenged….I’m 5 ft.1 in.  Not a complaint…just a fact.  But, it does require step stools and ladders quite often.  Now, I try to be real careful.  I make sure the step stools and the ladders are sturdy, and have rubber on the feet so they don’t slip as I am climbing.

I know alot of people are not like me. ( But, I know at least 2 people who are.)  I am of the opinion that if there is an unadorned flat surface …it must be adorned.  And, it matters not if it is 3 feet off the ground or15 feet off the ground.  So there is where the ladders come in.  I use them all the time.  And, I’m very careful…really.

Today, I had to get the tall ladder, because I was going to the top of the pantry.  It’s a good ladder and very sturdy, but I do not like to get it out, because I can’t put it up.  It locks into place, and I can not get it unlocked.  It bothers Don when I leave that big ladder opened and in the way.  And, if he is bothered…he is not happy.  And if he is not happy….I am not happy.  And I much prefer happy!

I have been up and down the big ladder probably 20 times today.  And, I was on my last trip up…I’d forgotten one little vase that needed to go up.  Up the ladder…no problem.  Down the ladder…BIIIIIIG Problem. 

I’m still not completely sure how I ended up on the hard, stone floor…but that’s where I was.  I landed on my hip and elbow, bent 2 toes backward, and hit my head on a wooden stool on the way down!  You know, I’m sure I looked very funny going down, but at the moment, I wasn’t laughing.  I lay there for a minute…trying to see if I was injured.  I knew I hurt, but I was praying I had not broken anything.  Then I tried to get up, but my arm was hurting too bad to steady me.  So, I called Alex.

Well, Alex is the sweetest young man.  And, he really does try to look after me.  So, when he saw me on the floor, he was worried.  I told him what happened, and that nothing seemed to be broken.  I just couldn’t get up.  So, I asked him to help me up.

OK…now I  can see some humor.  One of the results of the Cerebellar Atrophy that he suffers from is very bad balance.  So for him to get me up was not easy.  He had to stabilize himself against the cabinet in the kitchen, and then hold on while he pulled me up with the other hand!  He couldn’t HELP me up…just PULL me up!  Which was very helpful,  but my shoulder is now out of socket, as well! 

I slowly checked to see if everything that was suppossed to move did, and that nothing that was not suppossed to, didn’t.  And, all seems intact.   But, my pride.  We sat at the island for a minute or two, and then I told Alex that I was going to lay down.  I could feel my elbow throbbing and my head pounding.  “Thank you for helping me,” I said.  And, then he said to me, “Mother, you can not climb a ladder by yourself anymore.  You need to have someone to help you.”  I thought that was very kind and told him that I would be fine, and would be careful.  And, then he said, “You know, Mom, you’re at that age where you can be breaking your hip.  You are just too old to be climbing a ladder anymore.”

Well…call the home, get me a flannel nightgown and a cup to put my teeth in, Son.  Oh, and I’ll just use your wheelchair myself from now on!  Too old to climb a ladder, my foot!  And, by the way, if I had to wait on someone to be available to help me when I need to put things up, I really would be an old lady!

I’m getting more swelling and bruising…and I know by tomorrow I will be walking like I did break my hip.  So, I will sign off and find some aspirin and the heating pad.  But, my t-shirt will do just fine…no flannel nightgown.  No teeth in a cup.  No hearing aids.  No TV with the volume all the way up.  No riding in a wheelchair.

I’m NOT old….just clumsy.

SUNDAY  AM

I was right.  Stiff, swollen, and bruising.  Can’t walk on one foot, didn’t even know I hurt it.  Elbow and hip very painful, too.  Don’t think anything is broken, though.  I’m just going to take some more muscle relaxers and dream this day away.

Y’all don’t reserve me a room at ‘the home’ just yet, ‘m’kay?

Joy has told me for several years about a most wonderful shop over in Bainbridge, GA, a little town about 50 miles from Dothan. She said it had so many things I would like.  She has shopped there, but it has never been convenient for me to go.  She called the first of the week to see if I would go with her on Friday.  I said I would, and we asked Pop to go with us.

Since Joy and Pop live on the other side of town, I went over and picked Pop up and we went to Joy’s house.  We got into her car, backed out of the garage, and then she stopped.  She turned around and looked at me and said, “I hate to tell you this.”   She did not, however, hate to tell me this…I could see it all over her face.   She continued,”  Tommy wasn’t able to get me gas, so we have to stop and get some.”  What she meant was, “Na Na Na Na Boo Boo…You gotta get out and pump gas”.  Because, the fact is, as a grown woman of 55 years…she CAN NOT pump gas.  I think this is deplorable.  What woman in today’s world cannot pump gas?   It just makes no sense to me.  I asked her what she would do if she was alone and had to have gas and  she said she would find some kind man and smile real pretty and make him feel sorry for her and he would pump it.  I told her she was a disgrace to womankind ever where.  She did not care.  She laughed…a mean, maniacal laugh. She showed me this book she has been reading…

Pity she won’t get to finish it……

We stopped at the Shell Station.    So, I ran the card and took out the pump and started the flow.  P.E.O.P.L.E……that gas was not the least bit willing to get into her Volvo.  It dripped…dripped, I tell you.  It took over 10 minutes to get it up to $20.00.  Of course, she wanted me to fill it up.  I didn’t.

Some nut case in another car was having fun with their car horn.  I thought it must be a child, but when I looked…no, it was a grown woman.  On and on and on and on. I was still trying to pray the gas out of the pump.  It was all just too much.  Joy got out and said, ” Sister, what’s taking so long?”  So, I stopped pumping and went inside to get a bottle of water.  I asked the clerk if their pumps were always so slow… because I never wanted to come back if they were.  She said they had some body come and fix them earlier, but there were still a couple of pumps that were slow.  I said,” I ‘m supposing #8 is one of the slow ones, huh?”    And she laughed!  “I bet that’s the one you got, ain’t it?” she said.  “It is, ” I said.  Then I suggested she put a note on the tank. 

I got in the car, and down the road we went toward our destination.  Bainbridge, GA is a little town about 50 miles away.  It has a lovely town square with all the shops located around it.  A very well kept garden area with comfy benches to sit on.  Pop had already decided that he was going to pick out a bench and enjoy the sunshine and the people.  We pulled up into the square and there was no doubting which shop it was.  There were lots of buildings around the square…much like so many Georgia towns.  But, nothing else looked at all inviting or even open.  But, that was OK…cause the store we came to see was more than enough. 

 This was one amazing store. These was stuff…and stuff on top of stuff…and stuff behind the stuff.  Every single shelf was like that!  Throughout the whole store!  And, it was all current merchandise, too.  We walked through once just trying to see everything.  Then we went back and picked out some things for Christmas gifts.  They began wrapping our gifts and as we continued to walk around, we found more that we had not seen earlier!

We had a ball!  And, we both got a lot of our Christmas list crossed off.  AND…they wrapped everything…for free!  We had so much they put the wrapped presents in garbage bags!  Back to the car, and Pop came walking through the square to meet us.  He had found a place that sold ice cream and a shady tree to sit under.

Joy had heard of another few stores in another little town named Colquitt.  So, off we went.  We talked of first one thing and then another….nothing of great importance….just enjoying being together.  The weather could not have been any better for us…warm and sunny with a little breeze.  Arriving in Colquitt, we visited the two shops.  Pop sat in the car and napped a little.  It did not take us nearly as long here as it did in Bainbridge.  But, we found a few things that begged to come home with us.

We made our way back to Dothan, and all went our separate ways. A beautiful day…Volvo gassed…shopping accomplished….memories made.

Saturday dawned just as beautiful as Friday.  And, what fun…today we celebrate the first birthday of that sweet boy, John Thomas!

Tara and Will live on Bush Mountain (Abbeville), about a 45 minute drive, and Tara has to drive it every day…Will, too.  They have such a lovely home, in the middle of beautiful untouched land.  John Thomas has a perfect place to grow up.  Will, and his cousins who live close by, are all big hunters. Tara had everything decorated and festive and ready for a party!  Both sets of his grandparents were there and several aunts and uncles and cousins and even a great grandfather.   Ian even came down from Birmingham!

And presents, galore!  He got the first one, the musical dog, and that was it!  He loves music!  He’s is walking well, and now has a riding toy and a big red wagon!

Afterwards, Suzanne fixed Ian his favorite hamburgers and then Ian, Don and Alex played chess until waaaay late!

FAMILY…what a blessing!  I could say more, but that sums it up…we are blessed!  It is a gift from God.

Adam and Suzanne went to the party earlier that day, so Adam could make some family pictures for them.  He made quite a few, but here’s my favs.

Back in the spring, Tina and I went over to Moultrie to help Shirley celebrate her retirement.  The party was held at her daughter’s house.  Since Jayna was pregnant, I took her a gift for her baby.  I had found this cute little bath towel, all pink and so cute.

We knew that her other daughter, Jolie, was pregnant, too.  So, on my last trip to Atlanta I was looking for a gift for her…I came upon some more towels.   Homegoods has a great baby area…separated into girl and boy departments.  I found these cute towels in the boy section…

So, I decided, since I thought these were so cute and useful, that I would get one for her new baby boy. I chose the lamb and have had it at home. but have not gotten it to her yet…even though he is already here.  I was planning to mail it, but Tina is going over on Thanksgiving, so I will let her take it.

She (Tina) came over yesterday to bring Alex a birthday gift, so I hurried to get it wrapped so she could take it with her.  Had the cutest bag and tissue, and started the wrapping.  Then, I had a horrible thought.  What if this was one of the ones that was sized for bigger children.  That would not do. I could not remember checking the size.   So, I turned it over to check…and…..OH!     MY!….After I read the back, I said, “Thank-you, Lord!  For looking out for this crazy woman who hasn’t got the sense of a gnat! “ Here’s what the back said….

What if I had sent this?  What if sweet Jolie and her hubby ,Paulo, had opened this gift and saw that it was not intended for human use?  What if I had not turned it over and looked?   It was packaged just like the pink one was.  It was in the ‘boys’ section…NOT the dog section.  Anyone could have made this mistake… RIGHT?

Well, if I HAD sent it…they would have laughed and laughed and laughed.  They know me well and would have just considered it typical.  So, I am headed out to buy a baby gift…and it WILL NOT be a towel!  However, when bath time comes for Finn…he will be dried off in style!

I’ve heard it said…don’t know where….that “you truly begin to grow up when you can laugh at yourself.”  I’ve been laughing for quite a while, and the older I get, the more I laugh.

Oh, and what did I learn?   Always read the front and the back of an item.  It may just save you from BIG embarrassment!

It started with this……..

This is all I wanted to do…….

(pig tails are not my best look, I know)

THEN, this came and took up residence in my midsection…

And I felt like this…and I still do….

This is what I will be doing for the next few days……

I’ll be back with you soon……

Today is Alex’s birthday.  He is 29 years old.  I don’t know if I can tell you all that is in my heart about this young man.   He was always different from his brothers. They both had a darker coloring like me and Don…Alex was blond, blue eyes, and very fair skin. 

 He’s always thought and acted on a different level.  His spirit is that of a gentle soul.  He has an amazing tenderness, but he also is strong and brave.   Adam and Ian both got their fair share of spankings, but a spanking wounded Alex’s spirit…that was not the way to discipline him.  He had to write me a full page report on the subject at hand.  Oh, how he didn’t want to do that!

 Cousins at play…NC…….1985

We became aware of his disease when he was in the 8th grade, and it changed the life of our whole family.  Instead of going off to college, with fraternities, and studies, and girlfriends…he went to doctors, and doctors and more doctors.  Instead of choosing a major and making career plans….he was trying medicine and therapies to help him deal with pain.  Instead of walking in graduation and receiving his diploma and degree…..he was trying out wheelchairs and walking canes to help him stay mobile.

He is blessed to have 2 brothers who love him and are always there for him to lean on.  He has a SIL who loves him also. He has cousins who would do anything for him.  He has aunts and uncles who help us search for doctors.  He has a Dad who has provided him with a beautiful apartment in our home.  Here he has complete privacy and we are near to help if need be.  His grandparents have always spent hours in prayer for him and have been a source of strength.  Many of our friends are available for him at a moment’s notice.

Even though he is in such terrific pain all the time, he reaches down deep and summons the strength to get out and be with those he loves.

He shows us all the meaning of bravery, and is an inspiration to any one who knows him.  And…he has a new best friend!

As his mother, my heart breaks every day.  I see him suffering and I want to do something…anything.  But,  we have been to doctors all over the country.  We are continually searching for someone who knows enough about his disease to offer him some help.  We are confident that God will lead us to that person, if that is His will for Alex.  And, if it’s not, then we will continue depending on Him for strength each day.  We will praise Him for all that He has blessed us with.   Look at how He blessed us in the middle of the pain and helplessness.  He led us to a doctor who fixed so much of his vision.  This was just dropped in our lap…we weren’t searching for it or seeking help for his vision.  But, God knew…and in His time, He gave Alex his vision back, by working through his brother, Ian.  And, the biggest bonus…Adam is seeing much, much better also.  What a reminder that He is watching all the time, and He knows what we need.  I thank Him for sending Alex to our family.  He has taught us all such lessons, and he fill our life with joy.  Happy, Happy Birthday!