Books Do Make a Difference

Came across this article from The Smithsonian about how if you had access to books in your home growing up, then you have an edge over those that didn't. Well, duh! Actually, it's a little more than that.

 The study, published recently in Social Science Research, assessed data from 160,000 adults from 31 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Turkey, Japan and Chile. Participants filled out surveys with the Programme for the International Assessment of Competencies, which measures proficiency in three categories: literacy, numeracy (using mathematical concepts in everyday life) and information communication technology, (using digital technology to communicate with other people, and to gather and analyze information).

The gist is in the comparison of a person who had few books in home and went to college vs. someone who had tons of books but only did 9 years of school, their literacy levels were roughly the same.

This article got me to thinking about my grandmother, Carmon Pickering. She grew up in the cotton fields of North Louisiana, went to a business school in Jones, La. but didn't graduate. She went on to get married and raise four kids taking care of the family.

(***Edit*** The school wasn't in Jones, it was called Draughon's Business College and was in Jackson, Mississippi. I misheard her when I talked to her to confirm it.)

I learned a lot from her over the years, including how to cook, but the most important thing was instilling in me the love of reading. My earliest memories are of me sitting in my grandmother's lap while she read aloud to me. As I grew older, a visit to my grandmother's would always lead me to her bedroom whose walls were lined with stacks of books on every topic from gardening to astronomy. I would go on to become an amateur astronomer and she fed that passion with subscriptions to Astronomy magazine and a membership to the Planetary Society which netted a newsletter from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

My parents provided my brothers and I with books also. We had a set of Britannica Encyclopedias in the house and I regularly got books for birthdays and Christmas with topics ranging from space and WWII to the Hardy Boys and The Man in the Iron Mask.

I strive to expose my daughter to these same types of books because I understand the importance of reading. It's also one of my joys of owning my comic book shop for a short time. I got to show other children the pleasure of reading comics and other books and what worlds they could open up for them.

Now, I pick up my daughter from school and she can't wait to show me the books that she has checked out of the library. She even wants to read to me as we drive home. Who needs audio books when you have that?

What were some of your favorite books growing up?

Growing Up Surrounded by Books Could Have Powerful, Lasting Effect on the Mind via The Smithsonian.com

Hello, Sunshine!

Yes, I'm posting to my blog. No, I'm feeling well. With the return of sunshine this weekend (as fleeting as it may be) Lilly and I have been a little active. Not that we haven't been active before, but this was the first time in a long time that we just hopped in the car and took off. Saturday, we gassed up the car in anticipation of "doing something" on Sunday. Didn't know what, but we were doin' it. 

Unfortunately, I had a little squabble with the concrete out front of the 7-11. The curb is a little higher than most and I was having a lively discussion with the Kid and not paying attention. Next thing I know, I'm a 747 skidding on a foam covered runway, a.k.a. the concrete. No bumps or bruises, but some nice abrasions below the right knee and above the right eye. Two very concerned gentlemen asked if I was okay and needed help. I answered with being more embarrassed and probably needing a drink, though most witnesses probably thought that I had already imbibed.

Upon waking Sunday, we both had the urge to get out and so decided to have a road trip to Burleson to visit our friends, Blake and Kim Ovard and Tugg the Wonder Dog. They have a wonderful shop called Geek Out in Downtown Burleson and is a must visit if you have time. Of course, Tugg was taking the day off and stayed at home, but we got to visit with Blake and Kim while browsing all of their geeky goods. Lilly found a great calendar for her room and found plenty to purchase on future visits.

We took a lunch break at Fresco's Cocina Mexicana on Blake's suggestion and it did not disappoint. Lilly had quesadillas and I took on the Brisket Chimichanga. As you can see, I'm not much of a food reporter as I took a bite before I took the photo. Be sure and try the table-side guacamole. Not exactly inexpensive but worth it. The table salsa is awesome, too

In addition to eating and visiting, we checked out The Market Emporium Gift Shop. Lots of Lilly stuff to be had and she settled on a manicure set in a cute little cupcake case. It's right up her alley.

Lots of fun on a wonderful sunny day. We hope that you got out to do something just as fun! In fact, share with us!

Back In The Saddle and The Journey Home

As dramatic as that title sounds, it's nothing big except to those who worried over our trip. That and the fact that the last time I posted on this blog was over three years ago. I've had the want-to, just not the energy or drive. I figured this was the perfect time to let all of those concerned know that the Bug and I were back home after driving to see Great Grandma in Georgia. We would love to see her more than once a year, but there and back in five days is a little too much on both of us.

When we left, something was trying to tell us not to go. Just outside of Marshall the gates were opened and a downpour of Biblical proportions descended. With hazards and 45 mph speeds we made it til it cleared the other side of Shreveport. One fellow didn't make it easy when he decided to hydroplane from his lane to mine while I'm sitting beside a big rig. A little tension during that moment. We had credit card problems, also. Seems someone spoofed my personal card up in Iowa, so I had to cancel that one and use my business card for transactions. No big deal, but I transferred money after business hours and though it showed available in my account, it wouldn't let me get a hotel room for the night. So, here's a grown man having to call his mama and use her credit card to get the room. Sure enough, the next morning it was fine. We had the same problem with it on the way back, but I had some cash on me, so it wasn't a big deal, just a pain in the rump.

We got to spend time with Great Grandma Carmon and Uncle Kenneth Earl. Lilly had the best time entertaining them. She love her G-Grandma Carmon. Also got to see my cousin Angeline and her husband, plus saw her daughter on the way thru West Monroe where she has a game shop. Stopped at several comic shops on the way back and then finished with a visit with my brother Kelly all over a Sweep the Kitchen at Johnny's Pizza.

I'm very glad to be back at home now and get back to work. How was your weekend/week?

Emperor Pawlpaltine at Southern Realms in Ruston, La. My
home where I grew up. An array of helmets at a truck stop!

Plastic Bag Tax Makes No Sense

This is what chaps my behind about the plastic bag ban in Dallas. They've voted in a new ordinance that makes you pay 5 cents a bag at the check-out beginning in January. The city's complaint was about how many of these single-use grocery bags get thrown away and end up in water ways and the streets. I never knew how making you pay for a bag was going to keep anyone from throwing it away, but I don't guess I'm as smart as they are. Then, I saw the latest little flyer from the city that was included in my water and trash bill. It was a friendly looking piece of paper that asking if I recycled the right items.

For the most part, I was. Until I saw what you couldn't recycle and topping the list was the same plastic bags that they were griping about littering the city! Am I wrong for thinking that if they recycled these items, there might now be so many floating around? Probably. Because, if a person isn't going to stop throwing them away after they've paid a nickel for one, they're probably not going to put it in the recycle bin, either. BUT, now I, the man who recycles, can't recycle the number one big trash item! So, now it goes into the main dumpster, where it “might” make it into the back of a garbage truck and go to a landfill to sit and wait for a 1,000 years. I don't know about ya'll, but my garbage men have very low accuracy for getting things into the back of a truck. I find more trash in my back alley on trash day than I do any other day of the week. So, much for going green Dallas. If you ask me, it’s just another way to add money to the coffers while not solving the problem it was supposed to fix.

My two cents, thanks for reading.

The Amazing Skidboot

I've mentioned to several people over the years about Skidboot. Smartest dog that you'd ever meet. Unfortunately, he's in Heaven now, but his owner has trained several of his offspring and they are just as smart. This is the original Texas Country Reporter video from about 10 years ago, but it’s still fun to watch.

 

Does your dog, or any other animal for that matter, do cool tricks? Show photos/videos or it didn’t happen!

Choosing Your Battles

***WARNING*** GRAPHIC IMAGE OF FINGERNAIL BRUTALIZED BY LAUNDRY BASKET! Not a lot has gone right in my life as of late. Don’t get me wrong. I’m very thankful for the time that I had with my wife and my little brother and I am so very thankful for the beautiful daughter that I’ve been gifted with. It tends to be the little things that stress me out. Lawyers taking their sweet time, rude people in traffic, trash can too big and bags too small, and the laundry basket just not wanting to cooperate while you fill it with three weeks worth of laundry. It’s those little moments when you wish you had a sledge hammer and a quarry to wail on. Me? I just tried to slam the basked through the tile. It paid me back in a bent fingernail. You can’t really see it in the photo, so I don’t expect you to feel my pain, but trust me, I do. I’m gonna go get one of those squishy stress relievers and see if I can squeeze the poop out of it!

Christopher Walken Dances Right Into Your Heart

Christopher Walken already rates pretty high in my book, but this moved him up a few notches. Makes me want to sit down and marathon his entire catalog!

Christopher Walken Dance Now - YouTube

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My Blog Name

A Voice From My Childhood

I was surfing the internet killing time when I came across an article on the most watched Super Bowl ads of all time. One of them was the Ram Truck ad called “Farmer.” It was narrated by the late Paul Harvey and it talks about God creating a caretaker for the Earth. It’s a very poignant portrayal of the American farmer and it almost makes you want to go out and start busting some sod.

But, then again, Paul Harvey’s voice does that to you. I was first introduced to his voice when I was little boy. My grandfather, Thurston Adcock, would listen to him every day at the same time and if you happen to be visiting during that time, well, you just had to listen to. For the duration of the show, time stopped, no sound other than the resonance of his tone and the stories that sucked you in and made you feel warm all over. It’s no wonder that when I think of my grandpa who passed away in 1987, I also think of Paul Harvey. Take a listen to the ad, and then do yourself a favor and track down some of his shows and treat yourself.

"So God Made A Farmer"

Here is a link that will take you to archives for THE REST OF THE STORY. You can also go to his website, run by his son, Paul Harvey, Jr.

2013 In Review

You know, I’m gonna cut to the chase. 2013 sucked. That’s as blue as I’ll get with it, because one day my Grandma or daughter might read this and I respect them enough to leave it at that. But, 2013 did suck, so 2014 shouldn’t have too many problems outperforming it.

We knew it was going to be that way when Carroll’s oncologist gave us the news that there was nothing left to do in December of 2013. Worst case scenario gave Carroll only three months to live, so we knew that it would be soon, but we always thought that she would degrade slowly. Carroll went from looking as if she were in perfect health to gone in less than twenty-four hours. We expected a slow decline with family having time to come see her and pay final respects, but instead, she passed in agony from excruciating headaches. In a way, that was better than the long, slow process. Though her death certificate says February 4th, she passed at around 11:20 pm on February 3rd. It was within a thirty minute time frame of when her dad passed a year and a half before on the same night of the week and in the same spot on the bedroom floor that he passed. My mother says that it is why Lilly kept seeing Grandpa Jim’s spectre around the house. He was waiting to take his daughter home. Over the last year, I’ve heard things. Whether they are Carroll or not, I don’t know, but we talk to her nonetheless. We say our prayers, we yell “I love you, Mama” to the ceiling, and we tell each other how much we miss her.

I moped for a good few months, entertaining myself by going to conventions and staying active on my blogs. Some days, I would just sit in front of the computer and stare and then there were days that I would sleep. Some days were amazing. Lots of energy, lots of ideas, then the next day would leave me lethargic and not wanting to do anything.

As the holidays approached, I spent more time with family and less time on the computer. I’d still hop on Facebook and say something, but most of the time just lurk. Both Lilly and I took the holidays rather well. No breakdowns, no collapses. Yet, we still haven’t reached the one year mark.

Lilly has been doing well in her day school and she loves it. She has friends that she loves and talks about on a regular basis. I’m hoping to put together a play date when the weather warms up. She’s precocious, quick witted, a tom boy and a princess at the same time. I know her mother smiles down on her with a smile from one side of the universe to the next.

I am gearing up to make 2014 a knockout. I won’t give details, but I am starting my own business. Carroll always told me to do what I love. She was my biggest supporter and I miss her so much for that. So, within the next few months, I’ll have huge news on that front.

Last, but not least, we raised over $6000 for the National Brain Tumor Society in November. I plan on becoming a big part of the event to honor Carroll’s name and giving spirit, so be prepared to get sick of me.

If you have not heard from us personally in the last year, please do not take it to heart. We have been fighting daily with our emotions and sometimes forget the little things. Know that we do love you and you are still a part of mine and Lilly’s lives.

So, here’s to a 2014 that won’t suck!

Where Has Halloween Gone?

I may be the only one that feels this way, but Halloween just doesn’t seem to be fun anymore. I dread neighborhood kids coming to the door. It’s not that I don’t like having to buy three $20 bags of candy, I just don’t like having to hand it over to kids who aren’t from my neighborhood or are too old to be trick-or-treating to begin with. And of course, their parents are standing right behind them like it’s perfectly fine! Really? How about me and some of my adult friends dress up and come to your neighborhood and knock on your door? Uh, oh. I’m starting to sound like that guy.

Anyway, I found a very interesting website. In this day of “sexy” this and “naughty” that, it’s kind of hard for a girl or woman to find a really cool costume. But, Take Back Halloween aims to fix that by giving girls of all ages ideas for strong female characters. You get historical, mythological, and literary figures to draw from and if a guy tries hard enough, he can get a few ideas for his own costume. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Ramblings and Wishes

I don’t know why I do it, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. How I found the first video I couldn’t tell you, but before I knew it, I had watched about ten Daddy-Soldiers-Reuniting-with-Their-Kids videos. I guess I wanted to see someone get their parent back, when I know that Lilly and I won’t. It’s okay, folks. I’m not going mental. It made me feel good. And it cleared my sinuses.

I got in the photos that I had printed. Most of them are from the memorial, but I added some of Lilly and family members. I wanted to have them to put around the house, so that Lilly and I will have reminders in front of us. When they’re on a computer, you have to voluntarily search them out, but if they’re on a wall, you see them all the time.

I was thinking one night while I was out about all the things that Carroll and I didn’t do. Not big trips and the such, but little things like going out to dinner. The few times that we got a baby-sitter, we didn’t know where to go. Here’s our date would go:

Silence for the first 10 minutes of the drive and then we look at each other. Carroll: smiling “I want to go home and pick her up right now.”

“I do, too, but we’re not. We’re going to go and enjoy ourselves. Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know. How about you?”

“I don’t know. You decide, because you don’t always like the places I pick.”

“I do, too!”

“Okay, Pappadeaux’s.”

“That’s Cajun. Everything is too spicy, even the chicken.”

“Ha Ha, see? So, how about some place we’ve never been?”

“I don’t know any places.”

And so on . . . . .

While I was out one night a few weeks back, I stopped by Barnes & Noble and then hit this little pizza place with a patio. The weather was perfect. I got a pizza, sat on the patio, watched traffic, and thought that Carroll would love this place. Of course, now, I’ll just have to tell her about it, but while I sat there, I thought why couldn’t I have found a place like this before and then we would have a place to go?

My only answer to that was something that I had heard before. You have to plan. If you don’t plan, then it doesn’t happen. Even little things like dinner with your spouse have to be planned. Especially, when you both are fighting a disease together. But this doesn’t have to just apply to the sick. You healthy folk could use a stress reducer like this. So, plan your date. Write it on a sticky note and put it on the fridge or the back of the front door. Then, when a miracle does happen and you get a free night, it’s already planned.

If it ever comes a time, and you’re the only one enjoying a great pizza, you won’t feel so guilty.

National Brain Tumor Walk 2013

It’s fund-raising time again and the date has been set for the 2013 National Brain Tumor Walk at Trinity Park in Ft. Worth. I lost my wife, Carroll, in February after a three-year battle with the disease. She never lost hope and never lost that smile and I want to continue to wage the battle, so that no one else will have to go through what we did.

It’s so easy to help, too. You can join us in the walk, donate, and spread the word by going to the Team Kiwi site. Once you are here, you have several options and I go over them in the videos below. The team goal is $10,000 this year and I think it is very doable. Our goal was $2,000 last year and we beat that by a few hundred dollars.

So, I ask. Go to the site. Register to walk with us, if you can. If you can’t, donate and help spread the word.

Video – How to register to walk

Video – How to donate to team or team member

Video – How to set up personal page to fundraise

2-year-old is walking again!

This came across my web this morning and I just had to post it. It started with a most horrible accident, but ends in hope. In April, the father of little Ireland was mowing the yard on a riding lawnmower and backed over her. She lost both legs below the knees.

Now, I’ve had to come to terms with death when I lost my wife back in February due to brain cancer. There is a big hole that will never be filled and I deal with it daily. I know that it will get easier; it’s a long hard road. But this father has to see his little girl everyday and be reminded that he was the one that was in control when the accident happened. I don’t know if that would ever get easier for me.

I’ve actually thought about things that could go wrong here at the house. Things that I have control over. I put a lot of thought into a task before I ever start doing it, because I couldn’t live with myself if I ever hurt my child. I think that’s the most stressful part of being a parent, worrying about the safety and health of you child.

I’m like most parents. I think “what was she doing in the back yard when he was mowing? She’s only two for Pete’s sake! Where was Mom?!” But, you know what? We don’t know, so we shouldn’t be judgmental. I’m sure he wasn’t hot-rodding around the yard with a blindfold.

The good news is that little Ireland got her new prostheses and took to them like they were the genuine deal. Check out the video and see what I mean. I love the cape with her initial on it. The story goes on the way it should, living happily ever after.

Do you torture yourself over what-ifs? What are some weird fears that you have that might befall your little ones? Do you know of any little superheroes like Ireland?

Ireland Nugent walks on her new prosthetic legs on June 17, 2013.WTSP.COM

Rising & Shining . . . . Somewhat

I've found a new way to get the Kid up in the morning. Actually, it helps me get out of bed in the morning, also. The problem originally was that it took a long time for both of us to finally wake up, then get dressed and make it out the door to school. When I wake up, I turn the TV to Disney Junior and then take a shower. By the time I'm done with the shower, the Kid is awake because her favorite shows are now coming on, and I will admit the Disney Junior has some cool shows.

At 7 o'clock, a show called IMAGINATION MOVERS comes on, and it's about a group of guys who work in a warehouse and their whole job is to come up with creative ways to solve problems. It's right down my alley. It's got a lot of songs, which I now know by heart. At 7:30 AM, it’s CHARLIE AND LOLA and is about a brother and a sister and their relationship together. It's a really cute show, and it teaches a lot of good lessons.

I find the Disney Junior channel is much better at teaching lessons than other channels such as Nickelodeon, Qubo and the like. The Kid’s favorite of favorites is Doc McStuffins. It's about a little girl who has a special stethoscope that makes her stuffed animals and toys come alive, and she goes about fixing said stuffed animals and toys. In addition to teaching the general lessons, it also shows children how not to be afraid of a doctor and may even encourage some kids to think about being doctors. By the time Charlie and Lola comes on, the Kid is awake and awake enough to get dressed, which usually means she's watching TV and I'm just putting clothes on her. 8 o'clock rolls around, I turn the TV off. She's almost fully dressed or brushing teeth and headed out the door. Not a bad routine.

I've definitely had to watch what I'm watching around the Kid lately. I can't watch any news programs. She seems to pick up on the negative, really, really quickly and brings it up in conversation. Not in the “Why did they do that?” type of conversation, but as in the “Is that going to happen to me?” type of conversation. It scares her more than any horror movie could think of doing. Matter of fact, it does that to Daddy sometimes. I will usually record the news and just watch it when she's asleep. If I really need to read the news, I have a channel set up on Facebook and Twitter to where I can see all the local news as it happens.

What are different ways that you wake up your children to get them off to school in the morning? Can you wake your children up with a good “Rise and shine”, or do you need to spray cold water on them. Also, what are your TV viewing habits with your children? Do you pay attention to what they’re watching or do you even watch TV around them? If you do watch TV with small children, what are some of your favorite programs to watch?

The Joy of a Mailbox

My grandmother Carmon has always been a letter writer. My brothers and I would receive cards in the mail for birthdays, holidays, and days that I think my grandmother made up just to get rid of the cards that she had stockpiled.

Well, now Lilly gets cards in the mail and Great Grandma Carmon sends cards filled with stickers. Any kind of sticker that looks pretty or interesting will get sent and Lilly loves to put them in her coloring books, regular books, notepads, or just blank sheets of paper. It gets to the point that she will walk with me out to the mailbox to check it expecting an envelope and if there isn’t anything for her, she’ll comment, “I need to write Great Grandma Carmon and tell her to send me more stickers!”

“I think Great Grandma Carmon would love to hear from you, Toot.” May be why Great Grandma Carmon slips up every once in a while, is to get that phone call?

So, I thought that it would be cool to set up something where she did get mail on a regular basis. No, I’m not getting a credit card in her name. Though, that is a . . . .  Any way. I go to Half Price Book Store and will get those National Geographic Little Kids magazines. Then I got to thinking, why not get a subscription and have them mailed. I’m still paying about the same price after subscription discount and she gets something in the mail.

Another that is for her age group is Highlights High Five. I’ve never read this one but it’s a younger version of the Highlights Magazine that you always found in the dentist office, so it can’t be all bad.

Do you have any favorite kids magazines? Give me some titles so that I can pass them along.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I’ve come to find over the last five to six weeks, how much I took my wife for granted. All the little things that she did of which I was oblivious. From taking care of Lilly to jobs around the house, and most of it on her sickest days. I offer up an apology every day to heaven, knowing that she hears me and that she forgives me, but knowing that an apology is not enough.

I have to go forward and keep up the work that she left behind. That means raising Lilly the way the Carroll wanted, getting healthy so that I can be here for as long as Lilly needs me, and keeping Carroll’s memory alive and introducing her to new people though she is gone.

Valerie Harper of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW and RHODA fame, that is if you are a child of the 70’s, announced in her book and on TV that she has terminal brain cancer. She, like Kiwi, has survived her expiration date, but knows that the end is inevitable. And, also like Kiwi, she doesn’t let that stop her. In her words, “You can die with cancer, but not of it.” It’s basically a choice. You can let just the thought of cancer go ahead and put you in a bed and you wait for it to happen, or you can go out and live your life until it does come for you. That is what Carroll did. She said that when it gets here, she’ll be ready, but until then, come get me.

So, with the will to live that my wife exhibited, I step forth with some changes in my life. My child will be my first and last thought everyday, just as my wife was, but with a renewed sense of empowerment. I will teach my child that every day is a new day and that we are not dead until the dirt is put over the top of us. We will wake up every morning and think, what can we do to make our world a better place or how can we help someone else who may not have it as well.

We will also learn how to be healthy. The day that Carroll passed, one of the last things she said to me was, “get healthy.” Meaning, give up the cokes and the eating out and make sure that you are here for our daughter. So, I will start by cutting down (I can’t do cold turkey) on the cokes, eating out once a week as a treat, and walking more.

I miss my wife so much, but it hurts less when I’m doing things of which I know she would be proud. So, here’s to the changes and keeping a smile on my wife’s heavenly face.

Our Visit to the Gaylord Texan and ICE! featuring MERRY MADAGASCAR

We were treated to the ICE! exhibit at the Gaylord Texan the last day of the show and had a blast. The theme was Dreamworks’ Merry Madagascar and the sculptures were just amazing. What was really cool was to watch one of the 40 artisans repair a sculpture right before my very eyes. Very skilled people! I think the temp was somewhere about 10 degrees in the building but the heavy coat they provided actually caused me to sweat a little. The only parts that were frozen were my hands and face and by the time we were exiting was just about the time I would have cried “uncle.” If you get a chance to go next year, do.

Constructing a finger out of ice.

Happy New Year to Friends, New & Old

This year comes to a close and I look back on it and think that though we’ve been fighting medical issues, we still have a lot for which to be thankful. My wife had the foresight to have disability insurance several years ago, so when she went on permanent disability, we had something to help out so that it wasn’t such a dent in the wallet. We’ve been able to pay for COBRA (how I don’t know) and so she stays taken care of for now. I went back on the VA for my medical, but for now I’m healthy. For now. And Lil’ Bit is as healthy as a pony could be! So, we look ahead to 2013 with bright eyes and wishful hearts and hope to make it to the other side in the same or better condition with which we entered it. And we hope that you do too.

But more importantly this little blurb from my favorite author, Neil Gaiman, sums it up perfectly.

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art – Write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

As magical a quote as can be found. And inspiring. Best of all, for 2013, be inspired.

Update on the Wife 11-28-2012

For those that caught the last post and heard how we were all miserable at some point the last few weeks, well, we’re all on the mend but some of us had to go to the hospital to do it.

My wife went to her doctor Monday afternoon to see if maybe there was something stronger than what she had been given two weeks earlier. Her doctor, being the ever-vigilant care-giver that he is, told us to go to the ER and request blood cultures, X-rays, and other assorted tests to make sure that she wasn’t fighting borderline pneumonia. The ER would get results faster than he would and he thought time was of the essence. The question was, “which ER?”

We could have went across the street to the one in Carrollton or we could go to downtown Baylor and be right across the street from Wife’s oncologist. We thought that would be better. That was before we got to the downtown Dallas Baylor ER.

We arrive at 6PM to an ER filled with old folks, young folks, children, some questionables, and took our place in line. Twenty minutes later Wife was triaged and given her bracelet. At 8:15pm we were taken to a smaller waiting room closer to the examining area. More crying kids. It broke my heart as one young woman sat totally aloof from her crying one year old daughter. The child was obviously miserable but mother couldn’t be bothered to give her any comfort. I try not to judge people, but that to me was wrong. I almost asked if I could pick her up myself, but I was sick also, and didn’t want to add to their problems. Needless to say, hours later, I saw the little girl and she was in much better spirits.

Anyway, we finally got into an examination room about twenty minutes later. Nurses and other assorteds come in to get blood and urine and whatever else they could and we finally saw a doctor at 10:30pm, just a mere four and a half hours later. Upon their call, they decided that Wife should stay overnight with lots of antibiotics and fluids and be observed. Her oncologist would come in and be in advisement also. She didn’t get to a room and a comfortable bed until 3:30AM. A young team of nurses, Kevin & Rachel, got her situated and feeling better and I finally left at 6AM.

All during the night, my tonsils started getting more and more sore and by the time I got home, it was Nyquil time. I stopped for a quick sandwich, since I hadn’t eaten since 2PM the prior afternoon, and drank my drug and was asleep by 7:10AM. I woke up several times to check in on the Wife, but stayed home in my induced-coma and am now going to see her today, Wednesday afternoon, hopefully to bring her home, but, at least take her some clean clothes.

The Bug, this entire time, has been under the care of Grandma and has been in school and feeling wonderful! Thank you, Grandma!

I have a few other things that I wanted to write about this adventure, but they will come in later. I mainly wanted to let everyone know how the Wife was doing.

The Magical Season Begins

Well, we’ve survived the Thanksgiving holiday as we pull into the garage, all three of us sniffling, coughing, hacking, and wheezing. The wife has been fighting a really bad cold for almost a month now, thanks to the immune-lowering disease Sjogren’s Syndrome and the equally immune-lowering chemo that she’s on. Bug and I are suffering because we don’t want to be left out.

We spent time in North Louisiana with my brother and his family and had my Dad, step-mom, sister, Dad’s aunt & uncle, and my little brother and his family show up for some great food. Both my brother and his wife can cook. I even think my nephew had a hand in there somewhere. If you need a recipe for Bacon-wrapped Duck with Jalapeno Cream Cheese Stuffing, holler and I’ll get it for you. The Bug even lucked out with some early Christmas from her Aunt and Uncle, so you know she’ll want to go back very soon.

On the way back, we had late Thanksgiving with Mama and Wife’s cold seem to get worse. We decided to leave earlier than usual so that other visitors wouldn’t run the risk of catching what she had, though I feel that no one has an immune level as low as hers. Poor thing. I wish there was something I could do for her, but I don’t have a lot of options.

Then upon returning, I catch up on news and other things and it seems all hell has broken loose. The usual at first, Black Friday videos of people gone crazy, the loss of a favorite TV villain, and then word from back home that a good friend has taken the life of another. Brother was able to fill in some gaps, but details are still coming in. I’ve known the one since about 7th grade and the victim was the brother of another guy I knew in school. I’m not putting anything else out until I know more, because I hate speculation, but just please pray for folks back in Bastrop, Louisiana.

I hope your holiday went well and that you were able to be with the ones you love. I am truly thankful for all I have.