Reunion Time

Getting Prepared

Shopped this evening after work to find some foldable lawn chairs to bring to my Mom's family reunion this weekend. I wanted old fashioned aluminum folding lawn chairs but of course there were none of these, just those cloth sling "fold and put in a sack" chairs. Not my favorites but I bought them anyway.

The Headache is not happy about all the walking I did trying to find lawn chairs. It's talking to me this evening. I'm going to sit quietly in a little while and practice my biofeedback. The facial and eye pain is gaining on me. Please, Lord, just one weekend without complications!

Debating about whether or not to take my dog Augie with us. I have reservations at a hotel that allows pets. We've stayed there before with Augie - he loved it. The elevator doors would open on one floor and there would be one set of people to see, and then the doors would close and then open again and like magic there was an entire different scene with different people! He especially liked the automatically opening doors. There are just going to be a lot of people there, and I don't know how Augie will like it.

My Mom's family is huge. When I see the Duggar family on TV I think of what growing up in my Mom's family must have been like. Mom said they ironed and pressed their underwear flat in order to get it to fit in the drawers and my grandmother would create new dresses out of shirttails and old skirts. The family of my Mom's brothers and sisters goes like this in descending order oldest to youngest, with Anna and Ralph being the only two still with us, the rest having already passed on.[Note revised this AM per input from my Mom, with nicknames added).

1. Leon (Young Man)
   
2. Vivian (Vi)
   
3. Ethel (Rube)
   
4. Pearl (Jane)
   
5. Harold (Wheech)
   
6. Maxine (No nickname - died in childhood)
   
7. Lileth (Min or Ginger)
   
8. Clarence (Mac)
   
9. Henry (Stub or Hank or Lennox)
   
10. Geneva (Doze)
    
11. Nadine (Dinny)
    
12. Nonavee (John)
    
13. Anna (Snooks)
    
14. Retta (Rexy)
    
15. Ralph (Pood or Allen)
    



Someone once asked me if my grandparents were Catholic, and I replied, no just Prolific, to which the person who asked the question said "What kind of religion is that?" to which I replied "It's one you have to practice a lot!"


Grew up with a lot of people having nicknames from my Mom's side - Mine was Sisseroo, my brother was MullGrinder or Grinder, I had cousins named Snake and Fox.

Good Day All Around

Feeling Active

For the first time in a year and a half, I was able to go grocery shopping, come home and directly unload my car and put up the groceries myself! This was after sweeping and mopping the sunroom and kitchen floors this morning. To most of you this might seem to be nothing - you do this all the time! It has been impossible for me due to The Headache to do this much activity on the same day and not end up in unbearable agony. I admit I did take a nap this afternoon, but that is because The Headache kept me up all night.

The remembrance of past pain and fear of recurrance rather than current pain was part of my problem last night. I did have to medicate, and the medication didn't really kick in until the second dose around 4 AM. I cranked up the stimulator program and hoped for the best. Maybe I didn't get the best but I certainly didn't have my fears realized either. Is the stimulator doing what it is designed to do? I wish I wish I hope. Maybe I can click my ruby slippers together a few times and my wish will come true.

Feeling pretty good today. The Headache is still here, but it is much lighter than it has been. Hoping this isn't a fluke, but a taste of things to come. Sad part for me is that I can't swim this summer, at least until everything is completely healed - which will probably be September. I couldn't swim last year - The Headache wouldn't let me. Looking forward to next summer if my electric head works well enough. Ready to get back to normal activity like my old self.

Grocery Shopping Delight

Better Day Today

As usual The Headache backed off today after two days of agony. It's still there just at a more bearable level. At least I was able to do something today - spot mopped the floor, went grocery shopping, and made sandwiches for lunch.

I am hoping that I will be able to work through next week, unfortunately - Friday, Saturday - BAD, means Sunday, Monday, Tuesday maybe Wednesday good, but Thursday definitely bad. Sigh, wish The Headache could be five on two off, and I could get it regulated to weekends!!!

My brain feels bruised - wish I could rub some liniment on it to make it better...