Category Archives: Old Barry

Things not to discuss in the car………

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There are certain things you do not need to talk about in front of your son-in-law, especially on a car ride. You know, when he can’t get out and run far far away…..

  • What you remove with a pumice stone.
  • The fact that you couldn’t find matching hose for church
  • What your supper did to your stomach
  • Discuss the type of underclothes you wear
  • Have a list of what is wrong with the house that needs to be repaired immediately
  • What you wish we had done differently to the house when it was built
  • What type bra you would like Santa Claus to bring

“New” Barry Moments

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1. While at a training session, the discussion was how to get a blog to send out an email to a smart phone when new topic has been posted, Barry commented to a colleague “I guess he needs to get a smarter phone.”

2. On the ride home from this session, he saw a semi- truck with “air-equipped ride” on the side, he said the more he looked around, he realized that all cars are “air-equipped”. The tires are full of air, technically making all rides “air-equipped”.

The brain is a strange and mysterious organ………….

INR confusion

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Okay, now…..we are a week away from the one year anniversary of Barry’s stroke, yet his INR remains in an uproar. I just do not get it, Barry and I are eating exactly the way the want him to on coumadin, getting his blood work done  exactly how we are supposed to. His INR swings back and forth more than my mothers moods. I’m terrified he’ll have another stroke and we won’t be as lucky as we were last time, but I realize that is in God’s hands and I shouldn’t worry.   

What are we doing wrong? Is his body still healing and will regulate when it’s ready?  Is this in God’s plan and we just need the wisdom and patience to deal with it? I feel at times like it is my fault because I haven’t planned a meal correctly. Then I remember i can’t make him eat. I think I just need to relax and enjoy each precious moment we have together. We both have our own health worries and we are in the Lord’s hands. He is in control and I need to figure out how to kick worry to the curb.

Someone make me sleepy, please!!!

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Here I sit, wide unable to turn my head off again. Barry is sound asleep in his recliner, Miss Maggie is wiped out on the sofa,  while I sit here envious of the two of them. I guess I’m just so worn out from the holiday. Go figure….

Guess what? If I do not get this rest thing figured out soon, I’m gonna be out of luck. The Christmas rush, of running around, starts Saturday. We’ll be off and running again. By the time Christmas actually gets here, I won’t be able to function. My number one resolution for the New Year is going to be:

1.Get appropriate sleep!

2. Listen to my body.

I’ll finish that list when I am not exhausted. One good thing that happened today, we got the exercise equipment set up and I was able to start my routine again. That will perk me up and help with sleeping, hopefully. Everyone get a good nights sleep and have a great day tomorrow. I intend too. Exhausted or not, every day is a precious gift not to be squandered.

Treasure Hunt

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Barry and I have turned into treasure hunters for our churches Christmas Program. Our program involves a civil war hospital  battlefield hospital scene, so……we have been pestering  civil war re-enactors and combing through every antique shop with-in driving range for usable props. I have to admit, I love the antique shops.(this comment is from Jill only) I do not believe Barry enjoys it as much as I do. He does enjoy the hunt!

Several people have been extremely helpful and even given us a lead or two, but others have just been flat out, UN-NICE! This is for a church program and we will take good care of any item loaned to us. I  understand that these items are part of history and we both have a great respect for that, surely out there somewhere is someone that will trust us with the care of their antiques.

We both have trusting faces. We didn’t think it would be this difficult, but here we are….2 weeks till the program and things are finally rolling in. I’ll feel better when we find the uniform and clothing we need. It feels good to be able to help with the program, just wish we could do more. God is shining his grace on us leading us in the right direction. Thank you! 

Our bodies are screaming at us!

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When you have been through the wringer, as Barry and I have, you have to  listen to your body. After the past week; running around getting ready for company, the clean-up, the company, doctor’s appointments and all of our other weekly obligations; Barry and I are both ready to crawl under the bed. He is dozing in his chair at this very moment and I will not be far behind him.

I skipped the Women’s Bible Study Group tonight because I wasn’t sure I could stay in an upright position for the entire program. I’m sure God will understand. Mom took the peach cobbler we made. It  smelled heavenly! I hate to miss anything at church, but I just couldn’t do it. My hair even hurts. I had to patch my left eye for awhile today because my eyes are even fighting with me. I don’t walk well when I am tired.The next question my body is screaming is “Why are you blogging when you should be resting?”……..Well…..Good Night everyone! Sleep well!

Flashback

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There are a  few things that I have to do to ensure I function properly during the day.

1. Get my rest. Most important.

2. Do my exercises daily.

3. Drink plenty of fluids. To flush my system.

Number one  tends to be the most important of all, due to the fact that my body goes haywire without it. If I am tired, my eyes do not work correctly; I have trouble walking; I’m grumpy and a bit hard to live with. Last night proved my point. Thanksgiving really did me in.

On the drive home last night, I experienced an extremely unpleasant side effect, from the craniotomy, that I haven’t had to deal with since May 2009.  I was a passenger in the front seat of the van, watching the Christmas lights go by that people have managed to get up already.

Suddenly the car in front of us appeared to drive onto the sidewalk and up a telephone pole. I then realized that every car in front of us was doing the same thing. I told Barry what was happening and he suggested laying my head back and closing my eyes for a few minutes. His suggestion worked, after a 10 minute power nap, my eyes were able to focus and I got back to enjoying the scenery.

Double vision is not a fun to deal with, but I have to admit, seeing the cars go bonkers and driving up the sidewalks was a bit amusing. Remembering wearing an eye patch for 6 months, brought me quickly back to reality. That was NOT fun to deal with. An eye patch adds absolutely nothing for the way you look, unless you are Jonny Depp.

Although the holiday season is upon us, I have to make myself listen to my body. I do not like backtracking. I think I’ll increase my eye exercises a bit to ward off any weakness popping up. I will not give my eyesight up willingly. If it is meant to go, I’ll deal with it. Otherwise, I’ll be fighting it every step of the way!!!

Black Friday Jitters

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I think Barry has a mild case of the Black Friday Jitters or just the shopping jitters. We had a few errands to run today, nothing involving any Christmas shopping, just general items we needed  around the house. I think between the overly dramatic commercials and my tussle over a handbag, he was a little fearful of taking me into ANY retail establishment today. Every place we stopped, he was quick to say I could stay in the car…..always if “I wanted too!” Honestly, I was exhausted and didn’t want to go in, it was just too cute to see him stress over me going in. He even stated he wasn’t sure he could back me up if someone started another argument with me over a purchase. I believe he is a little pooped from our company, yesterday. Even the puppy dog didn’t move off the couch last night.

We had a wonderful holiday. We had good food (too much), good company and good conversation.I also managed to get a few pictures that no one will appreciate, but me. My family knows I love to get pictures of those moments no one wants a picture of. (sleepers, fork headed to mouth, a bite headed to the mouth that should never be considered one bite…..that kind of thing) I’ll post a few of those later. Great Holiday! Thank you, God for providing us with the beautiful day to enjoy each other and all the fixins to make a wonderful day!

PRE-Black Friday Rumble

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I have a little story to tell:

I was in need of a new purse, most women understand that need. Guys, if you do not get it please don’t worry about it. It’s a woman thing! While at a local retail store today, not Black Friday, I reached for a purse from the back of a rack. As I am pulling the purse from the rack, a lady next to me grabs hold of the purse and  refuses to let go. She starts claiming she had it first and I need to let go.

When she realized I wasn’t letting go, she decided she’d try to jerk it out of  my hand. All this managed to do was land me flat on my tail! (What she didn’t realize was that I now had a good reason to press charges if I wanted to) At this point, I asked another customer to get an employee for me. The salesperson that came over, attempted to reason with the lady and helped me up, but my new best buddy continued to refuse to let the purse go. I kept my cool and never raised my voice to the lady. I have a very weak voice at times and I have never managed conflict well.

You see, we are not talking about an expensive  designer bag, just a  bigger cross-body purse for all of  my junk. I can no longer carry anything in my left hand and stay on my feet. It doesn’t take much to throw me off-balance. The cross-body bag allows me to carry my bag and doesn’t throw my balance off. Although I may prefer a certain brand of purse, I have to go with what works now.

Barry is a doll for helping carry my purse, when I need help. He doesn’t need to be walking around carrying my bag. I feel so bad every time I see him with it. That is the only reason I was out looking today. I own enough purses to be honest. I truly do not need something else to add to our closet.

As the woman continued to refuse to let go, the salesperson informed her that if we couldn’t resolve this issue ourselves, she’d have to call the local police. The police were called, they arrived and heard our story. They started talking to the other lady about letting the purse go. The minute she let go, I grabbed my buggy and headed for checkout. I was exhausted from the stress and aggravation of it all.

I have no clue what went on after I left, I was just glad to be out of the store with the object I went shopping for!